Chief accused of ordering villagers to vote for Zanu PF

Politics
THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has been asked to investigate Chief Tategulu in Tsholotsho North who stands accused of ordering villagers to vote for Zanu PF candidate Jonathan Moyo in the June 10 by-election.
Jonathan Moyo
Jonathan Moyo

THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has been asked to investigate Chief Tategulu in Tsholotsho North who stands accused of ordering villagers to vote for Zanu PF candidate Jonathan Moyo in the June 10 by-election.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

The Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) said it had noted with concern Tategulu’s active partisan involvement in the campaigns, saying his actions were unconstitutional.

The HZT cited Section 281 of the constitution which states that traditional leaders “must not be any members of any political part, participate in partisan politics or further the interests of any political party”.

According to the HZT, Tategulu has held several meetings telling his subjects to vote for Moyo to guarantee development and food aid in the hunger-hit constituency following the poor harvests.

“The HZT demands that the government oversees that traditional leaders discharge their duties in a non-partisan manner that does not infringe citizens’ civil and political liberties,” HZT said.

“The newly-established Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission launch an investigation on the conduct of Chief Tategulu in Tsholotsho North as a deterrent to would be law breakers.”

This came amid reports that Moyo’s campaign teams were distributing donated Chinese rice while the government has promised to drill several boreholes in what has been widely viewed as a vote-buying gimmick.

Moyo, who lost the July 2013 constituency race to MDC-T’s Roselyn Nkomo, is contesting the by-election against two independent candidates, Busani Ncube and Getrude Sibanda.

Meanwhile, Moyo has accused the opposition MDC-T of deceiving and abusing the electorate in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North Province by failing to fulfil most of its election promises.

Moyo, who is Information minister, posted the message on his Twitter account on Saturday.

He said the MDC-T had let down the electorate by running down Bulawayo’s industry, adding that the ruling Zanu PF party had programmes to resuscitate the country’s industrial hub once again.

“The situation in Bulawayo is not bad, it’s worse thanks to the MDC-T council. Sadly you would make it worst. It’s a fact that the MDC-T has not only destroyed Bulawayo, but has also deceived and abused people in Matabeleland,” Moyo wrote in one of his exchanges with his Twitter followers on Saturday.

“Look forward not backward. We are saying we will do what the MDC-T council has clearly failed to do — to revive Bulawayo. Yes, I think they can and will be revived, but Bulawayo must vote for change against the MDC-T which has dismally failed!”

Zanu PF national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere made similar claims a few ago.

But MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu last week said such claims were “outrageous, false, spurious and an unfortunate further insult on the people of Matabeleland as a whole”.