By Paul Nyathi|The ruling ZANU PF has issued contradicting statements on why President Emmerson Mnangagwa failed to attend his own campaign rally in Hwange on Wednesday.

After presiding over the ground breaking ceremony of the Hwange Thermal Power Station phase 7 and 8 expansion ground breaking ceremony in the mining town, Mnangagwa strangely left the town in a hurry while his party supporters were still gathering at the nearby Wankie Stadium waiting for him to address them.

Speaking in an interview with state media after the aborted rally, Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba said Mnangagwa was never slotted to address a rally in Hwange.

“The President was never slotted to address a rally in Hwange today. He went in to simply ground-break for Hwange 7 and 8 and then rush back to Harare to meet two trade delegations that are in the country and of course to prepare for tomorrow’s fixture,” said Charamba.

“As a matter of fact we do have a date with Matabeleland North which will be announced in due course,” said Mr Charamba.

Earlier on, the party chairman for Matabeleland North province Richard Moyo told media that the president was not going to address the rally as he had to rush back to Harare for some pressing commitments.

The party United Kingdom chairman
Nick Mangwana meantime also sent a Twitter message that President Mnangagwa was not going to be addressing the rally in Hwange but instead was rushing out to attend a ZNCC AGM in Victoria Falls.

President Mnangagwa last weekend escaped death by a whisker when a bomb exploded on his path as he left a similar campaign rally in Bulawayo.

Critics have claimed that Mnangagwa may have called off his Hwange address for security reasons.