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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The Zanu-PF National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) has tasked ruling party leaders here to decide on the fate of three renegade ruling party councillors in Chiredzi town who were suspended last year on suspicion of colluding with MDC-Alliance.

Cdes Josphat Nzombe (Ward 8), Liberty Macharaga (Ward 4) and Obert Ngwenya (Ward 2) were last year summoned by the ruling party leadership for consorting with MDC-Alliance councillors to choose a council chair from the opposition, despite Zanu-PF enjoying numerical advantage in council.

This was after the MDC-Alliance’s Councillor Gibson Hwende landed the Chiredzi Town Council chairmanship after defeating Councillor Blessing Mazinyane (Zanu-PF) by five votes to three.

The ruling party provincial leadership suspended the three Zanu-PF councillors for wilfully violating the party’s constitution and recommended to the NDC that they be recalled from council.

Recalling them would automatically trigger by-elections in the three wards.

The NDC referred back the issue of the three councillors to the Zanu-PF Masvingo leadership to make a determination.

Politburo members here led by National Political Commissar Retired Lieutenant-General Engelbert Rugeje, Cdes Josaya Hungwe, Lovemore Matuke, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana and Pupurai Togarepi together with party provincial chair Cde Ezra Chadzamira were tasked to rule on the fate of the councillors.

Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial spokesperson Cde Ronald Ndaba said a decision on the trio would be out soon.

“The NDC discussed the issue of three suspended Chiredzi councillors that we had recommended for recall and the national organ felt the issue was too trivial to take the attention of the NDC,’’ he said.

“It was then agreed by the NDC that the fate of the three councillors be referred back to our province where a final decision in the best interests of the party will be made by all Politburo members from the province working together with the provincial chair.’’

Cde Ndaba said the Politburo member together with Cde Chadzamira would closely work with the ruling party leadership in Chiredzi in deciding the fate of the trio.

“We expect the team to meet and make a decision on the three councillors very soon, so we are quite optimistic that very soon we will have a final position on them,’’ said Cde Ndaba.

Zanu-PF won four wards in Chiredzi Town in last year’s harmonised elections, with the MDC Alliance bagging three, while the remaining ward went to an independent candidate.

It was, therefore, given that the ruling party would exploit its numerical advantage against the MDC-Alliance to land the council chairmanship. In a clear signal that some Zanu-PF councillors supped with the devil, Councillor Hwende got five votes indicating that some from the ruling party voted for him, yet the party leadership had directed that Councillor Mazinyane be voted for.