ENERGY deputy minister and Harare South MP Hubert Nyanhongo and MDC-T Mabvuku-Tafara legislator Shepherd Madamombe are in a turf war after the former allegedly meddled in housing cooperative dispute in the latter’s constituency.
Madamombe this week accused Nyanhongo of “hijacking” his constituency by addressing a meeting of Kugarika Kushinga Housing Cooperative on June 3 in the constituency without his knowledge.
The meeting followed a petition by members of the cooperative to Madamombe to investigate allegations of corruption against the leaders of the housing group.
Nyanhongo, Madamombe claimed, told the meeting that members of the cooperative should not seek mediation from the MDC-T MP and also that their case should be resolved through Zanu PF structures in the constituency.
In the petition, the cooperative members wanted Madamombe to facilitate a special general meeting that would result in an independent financial audit from 2004 to 2008 and also to deal with issues of title deeds of 818 housing units the housing group built.
Madamombe said Nyanhongo jumped the gun by interfering in an issue in his constituency and ordered the closure of the cooperative’s offices until “all its members” join Zanu PF.
Nyanhongo allegedly claimed that the 21-year-old cooperative was founded and allocated land by Zanu PF.“Nyanhongo has shown no respect for me. He has no business in my constituency,” Madamombe fumed.
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“He cannot act on behalf of the people of Mabvuku. In his Harare South constituency there are MDC-T supporters but if they have grievances they do not go and report to an MDC-T MP in another constituency. What Nyanhongo did is tantamount to hijacking the constituency from me.”
He said he was exploring ways of engaging Nyanhongo over the matter.
When contacted for comment yesterday, Nyanhongo told the Zimbabwe Independent in a telephone interview that: “The programme (cooperative) was not started by Madamombe but it is a Zanu PF programme.
“Members of the cooperative are not happy with the way their money is being used by the executive committee, so we as a party it is our duty to protect them.”
Nyanhongo is eyeing the Zanu PF Harare provincial chairmanship in an election expected to be held before the party’s congress in December. He will fight it out with former Mines minister Amos Midzi.
BERNARD MPOFU
