The Zanu PF fallout: Mudha v Blackman

Politics
FORMER close pals Gokwe-Kana MP Owen “Mudha” Ncube and Kwekwe Central MP Masango Matambanadzo, popularly known as Blackman due to his dark complexion, unceremoniously ended their friendship in a public scuffle that has left the latter at the centre of a criminal investigation.

FORMER close pals Gokwe-Kana MP Owen “Mudha” Ncube and Kwekwe Central MP Masango Matambanadzo, popularly known as Blackman due to his dark complexion, unceremoniously ended their friendship in a public scuffle that has left the latter at the centre of a criminal investigation. BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER

It all started when Ncube, a close ally of Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, paid a visit to Matambanadzo at his shop in Amaveni late on Sunday afternoon for what was meant to be private talks.

What was said behind closed doors remains a subject of speculation, but Ncube is known to be liberal with words and because of his close proximity to Mnangagwa, he walks around with some air of invincibility.

According to an eyewitness to the scuffle, Ncube who was clad in a green suit, left the shop headed for his car, but just as he was driving off, a visibly angry Matambanadzo jumped into his car and blocked his path.

“It was like a movie. He drove straight to Mudha’s car and stopped when it appeared as if their cars were about to crash into each other. Blackman, who was wearing a vest, got out of the car and grabbed Mudha through the window and started punching him,” a man who witnessed the scuffle said.

Matambanadzo and Ncube were once very close and used to hang out together. They were known to represent the interests of Zanu PF Midlands political godfather Mnangagwa.

At one point, Matambanadzo and Ncube teamed to beat up former Kwekwe rural Zanu PF district co-ordinating committee chairperson George Makombe for allegedly belonging to the faction reportedly led by Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

In a letter leaked to our sister paper NewsDay then, Makombe had written to Zanu PF Midlands provincial chairperson Jaison Machaya seeking reinstatement, accusing Ncube and Matambanadzo, among others, of targeting him along factional lines.

“. . . At a meeting at the district party offices . . . I was verbally and physically attacked in the presence of central committee, provincial and district members, being accused of blocking Mai (Auxilia, Mnangagwa’s wife) passage to the central committee. Again, I was told by Matambanadzo and Ncube that I belonged to Mujuru’s camp . . .,” Makombe wrote.

However, Matambanadzo fell out along the way and he has claimed it was because his former handlers did not like the truth and were more interested in abusing and disempowering other people.

Matambanadzo has now joined Makombe and speaks ill of his former friend accusing him of abusing gold panners in an effort to prop up his political standing in the Midlands.

“They hate people who are progressive and tell the truth. All they want are praise singers, but for me that doesn’t work. We have to respect the people like what President (Robert) Mugabe has said,” he said.

Matambanadzo has openly been ridiculed by his peers in the party for his lack of formal education and labelled a member of the Mujuru faction, hence an outcast in the power matrix in the Midlands.

They say he makes shallow arguments in Parliament that embarrass Zanu PF.

Relations further soured when Matambanadzo challenged a close Mnangagwa ally, Cornelius Mupereri, in Zanu PF primary elections, which he won and subsequently went on to defeat MDC-T’s Blessing Chebundo for the Kwekwe Central seat.

Chebundo had defeated Mnangagwa twice in previous parliamentary polls resulting in him ditching the urban constituency for a rural one.

Despite Ncube being MP for Gokwe-Kana, about 250km away from Kwekwe, he has vast business interests in the city.

He runs a project buying groceries for the elderly in Mbizo where he grew up and has a huge following among commuter omnibus touts and gold panners.

It is these touts and panners, who normally get angry on his behalf that appear to be at the centre of the scuffle that saw the MPs making headlines.

Ncube made a police report under case KK Cr 59/07/14.

To many Zanu PF followers in the Midlands, Ncube is the unofficial face of Mnangagwa in the province and has been accused by war veterans of being used by his principal to entrench himself as the party’s political godfather in ongoing factional wars.

Mnangagwa was at the centre of a lawsuit in which Ncube was claiming $10 million in defamation against retired Captain David Juro, who led a group of war veterans in making the allegations.

Ncube chose to play down the scuffle with Matambanadzo saying he had no interest in turf wars.

The two also clashed in November last year when Matambanadzo invited Mines deputy minister Fred Moyo to address small-scale miners in Kwekwe without seeking clearance from the party leadership.

Ncube was livid saying it was worrying that a Zanu PF minister could just address a meeting without informing party structures and labelled it a serious show of disrespect for Kwekwe district.

“We don’t behave like headless chickens in Zanu PF. We are guided by principles and are disciplined cadrés. It is sad that when one gets appointed minister they want to abuse that position to get power illegitimately within the party,” Ncube charged then.

Matambanadzo defended Moyo and accused Ncube of being power hungry and greedy.

“Those people are greedy and power hungry. They think the party belongs to their families, but no; Zanu PF is for the people; for everyone and not this elitist group which is against development projects which I am championing to help the poor,” he said.