AN election debate series scheduled for Iminyela Hall in Bulawayo on Thursday was disrupted by supporters belonging to opposing camps in the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The meeting was organised by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, Election Resource Centre and the National Youth Development Trust.
Aspiring candidates for the Tshabalala-Pelandaba constituency were set to be quizzed by the electorate on their plans for the area.
The CCC has two candidates gunning for the constituency, deputy party spokesperson Ostallos Siziva, who is the official party candidate, and Soneni Moyo.
Zanu PF is represented by Gift Ndlovu.
The CCC says Moyo was not endorsed by the party, and is allegedly sponsored by the Zanu PF affiliate group, the Forever Associate Zimbabwe.
Moyo accused Siziva’s supporters of disrupting the meeting.
“Trouble started when I was invited by the master of ceremony to present my manifesto,” Moyo said.
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“They started booing and shouting at me saying they do not want me...there was political violence as they wanted to chase me out. Some of them were armed with catapults.”
Bulawayo CCC spokesperson, Swithern Chirowodza, dismissed claims that party supporters disrupted the event.
“Rather CCC supporters managed to rescue Siziva from Soneni's Zanu PF crowd that pretended to be pro-CCC. Zanu PF supporters sought to bar Siziva from speaking to supporters,” Chirowodza said.
Bulawayo Zanu PF spokesperson, Archibold Chiponda, said the party had nothing to do with the violence.
“Zanu PF supporters and members only support Zanu PF candidates. I do not see how in any way Zanu PF supporters could find themselves involved in internal CCC squabbles,” Chiponda.
“This to me sounds like a simple case of those tensions finally erupting, leading to CCC members turning on each other.”
Meanwhile, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga on Thursday bragged that Zanu PF achieved economic wonders under President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
He was addressing party supporters at a rally in Gweru at Mkoba stadium.
“You can see for yourselves the roads, dams, electricity and food security brought in by the second republic,” Chiwenga said.
“All these achievements were realised under the second republic.”
“No one from outside the country will come to develop Zimbabwe. The Chinese developed China and so did Russia and America in their countries. So we should do likewise.”
He accused the opposition of running down urban councils as seen in, among others, collapsing service delivery.
The opposition denies the charges and accuses Zanu PF of interfering in council operations.
