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ZANU PF, council in skewed stand allocation in Chinhoyi
Zimbabwe Peace Project
June 29, 2005

High ranking Zanu PF and council officials in Chinhoyi are reportedly allocating residential and business stands only to people with a confirmed allegiance to the ruling party in the on-going controversial clean-up exercise.

These allegations follow reports that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters and those of unclear political affiliations have been left in the buff after a ‘vetting’ exercise in which they failed to provide answers to questions only readily answerable by Zanu PF card carrying members.

It is also alleged that the ruling party’s chief security official only identified as Chipunza in cahoots with his side-kick Teddy was until today directing operations to extort millions of dollars from prospective flea market operators from the local Zanu PF offices at the old hospital.

According to reports, prospective flea market stand owners can only ‘qualify’ to pay a ‘permission fee’ of $2,7 million per head after satisfying the local ruling party officials that they are conversant about operations of the local Zanu PF party structures.

Documents at hand describe the $2,7 million as ‘market stall construction fees’ not payable in instalments as is the normal case with such payments.

JM, one of the ‘successful’ flea market operators said in an interview in the small Mashonaland West town today that Zanu PF officials, on a ‘vetting’ exercise in Cooks Hall last week demanded from prospective operators that they furnish them (Zanu PF officials) with full names of their ward councillors, Women’s League chairpersons and other relevant party officials.

Those who failed to do so, it is said, were branded MDC supporters and were blacklisted among locals who "qualify not to benefit from the party in government’s stand allocation."

Allegations have it that ward councillors are at the forefront in the identification process. Ward councillors Foster Mahwani (ward 5), Prosper Mavhunga (ward 7), Mrs. Chadehumba and Magureyi (ward 1) inter alia have been identified as the chief perpetrators in fingering MDC supporters whose names they then send to the

In an interesting development, Kamupiro a local Zanu PF District Chairperson who doubles as an employee of the municipal police, has been reportedly identifying illegal structures on properties of known and perceived MDC supporters in Chikonohono high density area for demolition and assisting ruling party supporters quickly obtain housing plans to legitimise their illegal structures.

Some of the scores of MDC supporters who failed the ‘vetting test’ include the MDC youth chairperson MM, MP, FN and PG. The Zanu PF District Coordinating Committee chairperson only identified as Makumbe is allegedly using a Mercedes Benz (registration number 565-717J) seized from a former white commercial farmer to conduct mobile vetting exercises of prospective owners of residential and business stands around the town.

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