FIRST LADY Grace Mugabe has become embroiled in a new ZANU PF war that seeks to rid the party of Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri.
The development comes after Muchinguri was exposed in a leaked audio recording which shows her loudly scheming to destroy party members. Analysts have speculated that this signals the worst turn that now threatens the very life of ZANU PF far greater than the Mujuru purges of December 2014 as it pivots on Muchinguri.
Last year Muchinguri was the centre of activity as perceived Joyce Mujuru supporters were axed from the party.
A group opposed to Muchinguri early last week suspended youth league provincial leader Kelvin Manyengawana over a leaked audio recording in which he and the former Women’s League boss were reportedly recorded “plotting against other party leaders”.
Muchinguri’s allies later hit back and suspended Mbuso Chinguno (provincial vice chairman), Victor Saunyama (secretary for administration) and Rinashe Chinamasa (secretary for security) –ring leaders in Manyengawana’s purported suspension.
In the petition copied to the national youth league as well as Grace, Manyengawana’s faction claimed the suspension of the three was for “gross misconduct and disloyalty to the party”.
The petition, signed by 26 members of the provincial youth league executive read: “They (Chinguno, Saunyama and Chinamasa) have caused divisions and undermined the authority of the First Lady and secretary for Women’s Affairs by lying that they have been instructed by the First Lady to remove part of our executive members.”
The trio also stands accused of writing to the Zanu PF national youth league executive proposing that Manyengavana be suspended “without consulting the provincial youth league and the Manicaland provincial coordinating committee”.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Zanu PF provincial youth secretary for information and publicity Gibson Mupeti said: “As youth, we want the party to be run smoothly. We have seen that these people (the suspended trio) had their own agendas, they have been using the First Lady’s name to satisfy their personal agendas, which is very wrong.”
Mupeti added the purported vote of no confidence against Manyengavana was in violation of the party’s constitution.
Grace was at the forefront of a brutal internal purge that claimed the scalps of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru in the run-up to Zanu PF’s last December congress with Muchinguri’s support but the two reportedly seem to have fallen out of favour as the internecine fights for control of the ruling party threaten to boil over. – Newsday/Additional Reporting

THE embattled Commercial Farmers Union has warned its members to be on high alert amid reports that a three-man robbery gang was on the prowl targeting farmers in the Masvingo and Midlands provinces.
CFU director Hendrik Olivier in a statement at the weekend said suspects who were linked to an armed robbery in Masvingo last month, attacked a farmer in the Mwenezi/Ngundu area on Saturday night and got away with a .45 Webley revolver.
“Please be on the lookout for three criminals who were seen driving away from the scene in a dark coloured Toyota Ipsum vehicle.
One was dressed in a brown police uniform with a cap; another was dressed in the blue police uniform and the third was dressed in (military) camouflage,” Olivier said.
“They approached the farmer wanting to check up on firearms licences and became physical when he asked for identification, tying him and his wife up and assaulting them to hand over money.
Another robbery in the Gweru area last weekend may be linked to the group. We await further details.”
He added: “In the Masvingo assault there were two pistols but they lost one in the struggle with the farmer. However, in last night (Saturday) incident they seized the farmer’s .45 Webley revolver and came with a silver 38 revolver.
Please be warned and tighten up your security.”
Olivier said the affected farmers had individually reported the matter to police.
“I am aware that our members who have been affected have reported to the police and in particular Mwenezi dealing with the issues,” he said.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba could not be reached for comment yesterday.-SouthernEye

A 72-YEAR-old man was last week dragged to the Civil Court by his wife for denying her her conjugal rights for the past 26 years. Dorothy Kanyeda said she feared her husband Jospek Kanyeda was having ex-marital affairs.
The couple married in 1966. She now wants a peace order against her husband. “I suspect he is quenching his sexual appetite somewhere because for the past 26-years he has been denying me my conjugal rights,” she said.
Dorothy told magistrate Mr Trevor Nyatsanza that Kanyeda often sent thugs to assault her. “He said he wanted to kill me and throw my body in the bush.
“He is organising thugs to kill me and those thugs are always stalking me wherever I go,” she said.
“He sold our house in Chitungwiza and now he is threatening to evict me from our matrimonial home to accommodate his girlfriend.”
Kanyeda denied the allegations. “I am 72-years old. What will I do with a girlfriend at this age?” he said. Kanyeda said he loved Dorothy. Mr Nyatsanza ordered both parties to bring witnesses to court.

CHAIRMAN of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development and Chegutu West legislator, Dexter Nduna, has been sucked into a million-dollar Zinara road rehabilitation scandal after his company got a contract, but failed to deliver despite being paid.

Documents in The Herald’s possession show that Nduna’s company, Badon Enterprises, was hand-picked by Chegutu Rural District Council to repair the 28km Musengezi-Makwiro gravel road in Mashonaland West Province.
“The council was awarded funding under the periodic disbursement category. Records show that the council entered into a contract with Badon Enterprises on 22-10-10 for the rehabilitation of Musengezi-Makwiro Road (20km) which was later extended by a further eight kilometres,” reads an audit report prepared by Zinara.
The audit was carried out in November last year.
“The following exceptions were noted — the following information was not availed to audit — bidding documents of competing contractors and resolutions detailing appointment of contractor, Badon Enterprises Pvt (Ltd), and the consulting engineer, Dande Civil Projects,” noted the report.
The contract was also overvalued.
“The consulting engineer had originally recommended in his tender evaluation report that the contract for the rehabilitation of the 20km stretch be awarded to Badon Investments (Pvt) Ltd at a cost of $681 100. However, the contract entered shows that Badon Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd was awarded at $828 451.25,” it said.
The audit report notes that the absence of bidding and resolution documentation created a gap as to full compliance of tender regulations “that specifically requires the evidence of such documentation to ensure transparency and achievement of value for money objective”.
The audit also observed that while the contract had a 10 percent provision for contingency budget overruns, that threshold was surpassed.
The budget overrun (overpayment) shows that Badon Enterprises was paid $828 481.25 for 20km and $450 000.00 for the additional 8km, translating to $1 278 848.25.
The audit notes that $2 212 508. 52 was paid as “ledger amount” signalling an overpayment of $933 660. 27.
All in all Badon Enterprises was paid $2 212 508 52 for the 28km road stretch repair work.
“The unjustified increase of $147 351.25 bid amount and contract amount has the implications that the adjudication process was not fairly done. The figure recommended by consulting engineers was $681 100 on the justification of being the low cost bidder. The contract was however entered into for $828 451. 25. This effectively defeats the issue of having a consultant,” reads the audit report.
It recommended that Chegutu Rural District Council provides the bidding and resolution documentation to expedite completion of the audit report.
“Justification is required on why the recommended bid price was adjusted by $147 351. 25. Reasons for such justification should have been well documented within the contract or minutes.”
In its response, the Chegutu Rural District Council said it was not involved in the road maintenance deal.
Council’s management said it was not involved by Zinara in the road works carried by Badon
Enterprises during the rehabilitation of Musengezi-Makwiro. The road was not completed and bridges were swept away by rains.
Chegutu Rural District Council further stated that it “was not involved in the direct payments of the contractor, Zinara can answer better”.
Zinara went on to suspend Chegutu Rural District Council from receiving funding from the road administrator until it avails all information around the rehabilitation of Musengezi-Makwiro road.
“Due to the above mentioned limitations compounded by the fact that council failed to avail the documentation as promised within the given timeframe, audit recommends that the Road Authority be suspended from receiving any further funding from Zinara until all promised information is received,” reads the audit report.
In an interview, Nduna said his hands were clean and that if there was a problem, council was answerable.
He denied that his company failed to complete the rehabilitation of Musengezi-Makwiro road as per contract and also justified the payment for the 28 km road stretch.
“We carried out all the work and the amount ballooned because it included such structures as bridges,” he said.