ZANU PF’s Polite Kambamura Accused Of Employing Violence To Fight Internal Rivals
Sanyati legislator and Deputy Mines Minister, Polite Kambamura, has been accused of hiring a militia to violently disrupt a ZANU-PF cell inter-district meeting at Nyimo business center in his constituency.
Several party officials who spoke to NewsDay alleged that the hired youth militia was instructed to beat up ZANU-PF district chairpersons from Arda, Rusvingo, and Nyaunde, perceived as blocking Kambamura’s re-election bid. The victims of the attack reported the case to the police, who have filed it under RRB5413524.
According to ZANU-PF Arda district chair Sylvester Mhirizhonga, he and other officials were beaten up, and he is currently in pain. ZANU-PF Rusvingo district chair Joseph Takasungwa said Kambamura arrived with a truckload of thugs to cause violence. Nyaunde district chair Kudakwashe Gwatinyanya said he lost a tooth during the scuffle and needed medical attention.
ZANU-PF Mashonaland West provincial member Tawanda Tachiona confirmed that Kambamura had sent people to beat up party leaders in Sanyati. He added that they were taking those injured to Sanyati Hospital.
When contacted for comment, Kambamura distanced himself from the skirmishes, stating that he was not aware of what happened at the meeting.
Kambamura is not new to intra-party violence, having been accused of unleashing hired thugs on his rivals within the ruling party to ensure that he is not challenged in the primary elections.
Political analysts say, “the use of violence and intimidation has no place in a democratic society, and incidents like this only serve to undermine the credibility of the electoral process. The incident in Sanyati is a reminder that political actors must work to uphold democratic values and ensure that elections are conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. The ruling party must take action against those responsible for the violence and ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.”