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Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF will summon to a hearing party legislators Cde Masango Matambanadzo (Kwekwe Central) and Cde Owen Ncube (Gokwe-Kana), who exchanged blows in public in Kwekwe on Sunday over allegations of instructing youths to perform acts of arson.
Party spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo said in an interview that the two brought the party’s name into disrepute by engaging in a fist fight at Amaveni Shopping Centre.

He said the party’s national leadership would wait for a report from the provincial executive on the altercation.

“The party will summon them because we cannot allow our MPs to engage in a fist fight because it brings the name of the party into disrepute,” said Cde Gumbo.

“The province has to give a report to that regard, then the disciplinary committee will take over from there. The bottom line is that as a party, we cannot allow a situation where MPs exchange blows, in the process tarnishing the image of the party.”

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Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for the Midlands Cde Jaison Machaya said they would carry out investigations into the matter. “We read about the fight in the newspapers, but we will use party systems and structures to verify if indeed it happened,” he said. “If it happened, the party has ways of dealing with such matters.

“We have not received a formal complaint from the two. Maybe we will receive it when we meet as the provincial executive.”

Zanu-PF Chief Whip Cde Joram Gumbo said the altercation between the two had nothing to do with Zanu-PF.

“We are all in Zanu-PF and I don’t understand why they decided to resolve their differences through violence,” he said. “It is even dishonourable for MPs to do such things.

“So far we don’t know what actually happened because I have seen Mudha (Ncube). He says he was beaten up but he did not hit back. I am yet to see Matambanadzo to hear his side of the story.

“But what we condemn are utterances by Cde Matambanadzo that he is being victimised because he is not from Midlands, yet our provincial leadership has people from almost every province.”

Cde Gumbo is the party MP for Mberengwa West in the same province.

He said while the altercation had nothing to do with the party, it was embarrassing to the revolutionary party that its legislators could engage in a fist fight.

Cde Gumbo said it was up to the provincial leadership led by Cde Machaya to sanction the duo if it was established that indeed the MPs exchanged blows.

Cde Matambanadzo on Monday confirmed the altercation, saying he retaliated after Cde Ncube hit him.

He alleged that Cde Ncube ordered party youths to burn his vehicle and shop.

Cde Ncube expressed ignorance of the altercation, while police confirmed the incident but said they needed further details.

Zanu-PF Central Committee member Cde Douglas Tapfuma and the Kwekwe District executive yesterday recommended the immediate recalling of Cde Matambanadzo.

Addressing journalists at a Press conference in Kwekwe, Cde Tapfuma said the Kwekwe District no longer wanted to associate with Cde Matambanadzo following the incident and had recommended that the provincial leadership immediately recall him. “As Kwekwe District we received a report that Cde Matambanadzo attacked Cde Ncube in public,” he said.

“To us, that is gross indiscipline because Cde Ncube is the provincial secretary for security, which makes him senior to Cde Matambanadzo. We have recommended that the party recalls Cde Matambanadzo due to gross indiscipline and undermining senior party members.”