The outbreak of cholera in Chegutu has turned political with senior officials exchanging harsh words accusing each other of being responsible for the disease outbreak.
BY NUNURAI JENA
Officials from different political parties have been descending on the usually quiet mining town of Chegutu following the outbreak of cholera which killed four people last month.
Opposition MDC-T started the ball rolling when the then acting-president Elias Mudzuri toured the cholera victims, handing out food hampers to the bereaved families. Not to be outdone Health minister David Parirenyatwa and president’s special advisor Christopher Mutsvangwa later visited the town a few days later.
Chegutu MP Dexter Nduna had no kinds for the MDC-T, accusing the party of trying to “score cheap political points”.
Nduna said the MDC-T party wanted to cry more than the bereaved.
“The state of affairs is a bit abnormal at the moment in Chegutu because of the predicament that we are in. Because of the cholera outbreak, the MDC-T leadership wants to remain relevant when its councillors had five years to address issues to do with service delivery.
They want to score cheap political points. If they are genuine in their donations they should do it through the Civil Protection United (CPU)” said Nduna.
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Interestingly, while Nduna was advising MDC-T to hand over all donations through CPU, he personally donated four 50kg bags of rice to the same families of the cholera victims at Chegutu hall during Parirenyatwa’s tour.
MDC-T presidential spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka defended Mudzuri’s tour saying: “Our acting-president went to pay condolences and any right thinking person cannot find fault with that and besides Chegutu is an MDC-T run council,” Tamborinyoka said.
“Our leadership wanted to get firsthand information about the challenges they are facing. They told us that the problem is the central government that is failing to provide 5% of the budget not only to Chegutu council, but to all councils.”
We then had Mutsvangwa accusing former president Robert Mugabe for the cholera outbreak saying his administration had failed to provide service delivery to the people.
In Norton at Katanga clinic, the situation deteriorated to an exchange of harsh words between the local MP Temba Mliswa and Mutsvangwa. Mutsvangwa castigated Mliswa for coming late to the meeting.
Mutsvangwa fuelled the fire when he invited Provincial Affairs minister for Mashonaland West Webster Shamu to deliver a vote of thanks ahead of Mliswa, angering the Norton MP. Mutsvangwa had earlier reminded Mliswa that he was a place holder of his parliamentary seat.
Mliswa felt that Mutsvangwa and Shamu wanted to sideline him after he sourced medication, equipment and disinfectants, as well as establishing an isolation zone.
Mliswa accused Mutsvangwa of threatening him and asking him to re-join Zanu PF or leave Norton.
“It is unfortunate a noble cause is hijacked and turned into a political party rally,” he said.
Mutsvangwa refused to talk on the standoff with Mliswa.
Last month the MDC-T councillors accused the CPU of politicizing the cholera issue after they were ejected from an all stakeholders meeting a claim the district administrator Tariro Tomu refuted.
