By Terrence Mawawa Masvingo|Scores of Zanu PF supporters aligned to First Lady Grace Mugabe were left stranded in Victoria Falls last month after the provincial executive deliberately failed to reimburse their transport allowances, ZimEye.com has been informed.
ZANU PF bigwigs are trading barbs with others attacking Masvingo Urban MP Daniel Shumba who they claim caused the mayhem, information gathered however strongly suggesting there was more confusion than collusion against the First Lady.
Shumba, an alleged stauch Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa associate working with the provincial executive, has been attacked for allegedly disappearing with the transport allowances, leaving scores of Women’s league members mainly Grace’s supporters stranded for several days in Victoria Falls after the conference. The party supporters are yet to get their transport allowances.
Zanu PF councillor and provincial transport secretary, Goddard Dunira,the only provincial member sympathetic to Mrs Mugabe was also left stranded in the resort town after Shumba and other provincial executive members disappeared with the transport money.
Dunira said he was left stranded together with scores of party supporters after Shumba and senior provincial executive members vanished with the transport allowances.
“I had to look for other means to get people back home and this matter has been reported to the superiors and we are waiting for their response,”
Although Dunira did not mention the superiors by name, sources said he was referring to Mrs Mugabe who is currently out of the country on holiday together with her ailing husband President Robert Mugabe.
Shumba accused Dunira of ferrying too many delegates to make noise at the congress arguing some of the supporters were not bona fide congress delegates.
“Dunira brought too many people who were not supposed to attend the conference and this guy is being pushed by some people to take over my constituency ,” they said.
ZimEye.com has also been reliably informed Mrs Mugabe is determined to fight all legislators sympathetic to the embattled Mnangagwa as well as senior members of the provincial executive. As the Zanu PF squabbles continue, the entire nation has been compelled to watch from a distance hoping for an economic turnaround analysts say cannot be possible when the revolutionary party is at the helm of the nation’s political events.