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George Maponga in Masvingo
Former Bikita West Member of Parliament Retired Colonel Claudious Makova was on Wednesday booed and forced to leave a Zimbabwe People First provincial executive meeting by irate party members who accused him of refusing to relinquish the position of provincial co-ordinator in Masvingo.

Tension has been rising in ZimPF in Masvingo with two rival groups one pitting Rtd Colonel Makova and another supporting Great Zimbabwe University lecturer Dr William Zivenge in the tussle for the post of interim provincial co-ordinator. He was appointed inaugural Masvingo interim provincial co-ordinator at the formation of ZimPF before he was replaced by Dr Zivenge.

His ouster was a result of the infighting rocking ZimPF as the party gears for its first congress where the party’s substantive national leadership will be elected.

Angry party members openly attacked him accusing him of being a dictator resulting in him leaving the meeting in a huff.

He came under attack for pushing ZimPF to contest the forthcoming Bikita West by-election.

Rtd Major Kudzai Mbudzi, the national information and publicity committee member, confirmed that he fled.

“I received reports that he was chased from the meeting after he insisted that he was still the ZimPF provincial co-ordinator yet it was common cause that he was promoted to the national Council of Elders considering his advanced age,’’ he said.