Internal Fights Cost CCC Epworth Seat
28 March 2022
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By Jane Mlambo| Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC) candidate for Epworth Earthrage Kureva lost the seat to Zanu PF’s Zalerah Makari because of internal fights spearheaded by the party’s Epworth chair Damson Damson, it has emerged.

Damison admitted that he was eyeing the seat for 2023 and Kureva’s loss would boost his chances.

“We don’t want him, we never wanted him here. I am eyeing that seat for 2023,” said Damson.

So intense was the enmity between the two that Kureva had to bring outside election agents fearing that local polling agents would be influenced by Damson to rig for Makari.

“Kureva is an outsider and he couldn’t even employ our youths to be elections agents. He came here with his own people and citizens we were not happy about it,” said Damson.

However, investigations showed the former Member of Parliament had to make last minute changes after discovering that Damson instructed party supporters not to vote for Kureva.

“In Ward 6 and 7 Damison was spotted by observers instructing CCC members to vote for Zanu PF candidate. Kureva performed badly in those wards,” said an inside source.

Damson accuses Kureva of sponsoring one Norbet Makoni to stand against him on the chairman’s post.

“Kureva is divisive. He has been sponsoring rival candidates to usurp power from us. He did that in Ward 6 where he was fighting our councilor Batanai Masunda,” said Masunda.

Ironically, those wards are where Kureva performed badly giving credence that he was indeed sabotaged by local CCC leadership in Epworth.

Efforts to get a comment from Kureva were fruitless as his phone was not getting through.

Kureva is one of the first people to be recalled from parliament by Douglas Mwonzora after he publicly showed his allegiance to CCC president Nelson Chamisa.

After garnering over 26 000 votes in 2018 election, he only managed just over 8000 votes compared to Makari’s 10 000. The election was marred by voter apathy and many people were turned away on Election Day after ZEC tempered with the voters roll. Makari whose victory is being celebrated by Zanu PF’s former G40 godfathers Saviour Kasukuwere went on a vote buying spree the night before the election, dishing out mealie meal and promising cash to the electorate.