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Faith Zaba
ZANU PF politburo member Tendai Savanhu has denied any links to Chipangano, saying the militia group was a creation of the MDC-T to tarnish the image of his party and its leadership ahead of elections expected either next year or in 2013.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent yesterday, Savanhu said the youth militia group was not part of Zanu PF’s strategy to reclaim parliamentary seats in Mbare it lost to MDC-T in 2000.
In this case, Savanhu said Zanu PF’s name was dragged into the mud by its opponents.
“I want to accept that Zanu PF and MDC have clashed and fought in the past. I am not saying it was Chipangano but it was Zanu PF and MDC, why should we hide and say it was Chipangano. I don’t see the logic of creating another structure outside the party constitution.”
Savanhu added: “Chipangano is not a creation of the media but of our opponents who came up with the name — its is a strategy from the opponents to try and build a case as we approach elections so that they say elections are not free and fair.”
Chipangano has been terrorising people perceived not to support Zanu PF. The group has of late almost taken over Mbare making it a no-go area for non Zanu PF supporters — something which Savanhu described as false.
Savanhu went further to say: “President Robert Mugabe always says you cannot win an election by beating up or threatening people, but you can win an election by coming up with policies.”
He accused MDC-T of trying to provoke Zanu PF supporters in Mbare on many occasions but he has told his supporters not to retaliate.
“Because of the European Union meeting in February, MDC-T came up with this violence between January and February. We then organised a meeting attended by politburo members at No. 5 Ground to plead with the people not to retaliate. We told the people ‘no to violence’; we said we want peace, peace and peace.”
He asked why MDC-T supporters and leaders’ houses in Mbare have never been attacked if Zanu PF was as violent as the media portrayed it to be.
Savanhu said his party was also trying to find out who these Chipangano members were but has not been successful.
‘We have beefed up our legal and security departments to investigate incidents of violence and claims by MDC-T in cases where Zanu PF is accused of violence because on many occasions the claims are false,” he said.
Savanhu said MDC-T has gone as far as claiming murder victims as their supporters allegedly killed by Zanu PF.
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