Harare – A top ally of expelled Zimbabwe vice president Joice Mujuru has revealed that their group will field candidates against President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF in the June 10 parliamentary by-elections.
Zimbabwe will go for 15 parliamentary by-elections that have been dubbed “mini-general elections” following the expulsion of 21 members of parliament (MPs) of the opposition MDC-T who crossed the floor from MDC-T and formed their own MDC Renewal team.
The MDC-T which is led by former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai has indicated that it will not participate in these by-elections, protesting over unlevel playing field which it says favours the ruling Zanu-PF.
However, addressing journalists in Harare on Wednesday afternoon, expelled Zanu-PF Mashonaland West chairperson, Themba Mliswa, who is a close ally of Mujuru said his group which now goes under the names “Original Zanu-PF or People First” will field candidates in by-elections.
The ruling Zanu-PF has already started campaign in these constituencies.
The majority of these vacant parliamentary seats are in Harare and Bulawayo which are MDC-T strongholds.
“We are going to field candidates in these by-elections. We are going to have candidates in every constituency. We will give Zanu-PF a run for their money,” said Mliswa who was also fired from Zanu-PF and parliament for backing Mujuru.
“MDC used to control these constituencies and we are talking to them, so that we get much support and defeat Zanu-PF,” Mliswa added.
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Mliswa who is also battling to recapture his Hurungwe West parliamentary seat was also arrested over the weekend on allegations of disrupting a Zanu-PF meeting in his former constituency. He was released due to lack of evidence.
Mujuru was fired together with 16 Ministers and several other top Zanu-PF officials last year on allegations of plotting to kill Mugabe. The group has since launched the People First movement also known as the Original Zanu-PF.
Last week Mujuru openly told Mugabe that she could never be expelled from the “genuine” original Zanu-PF, while also openly querying for the first time the mysterious death of her husband, general Solomon Mujuru, whose remains were found after an inferno at their Beatrice farm in 2011. – News24
