Poster wars break out in Mash West

An upsurge of politically-motivated violent cases is being reported in some parts of the Mashonaland West province as contesting candidates accuse each other of pulling down each others’ campaigning posters. 

The most hit areas include Chinhoyi, Shackleton, Alaska, Lion’s Den, Banket and Mtorashanga.

Chinhoyi parliamentary candidate Sibongile Mgijima of MDC Ncube formation accuses activists from the Tsvangirai formation and Zanu PF of pulling down her posters. Peter Matarutse is standing on the MDC-T ticket and Philip Chiyangwa for Zanu-PF in the hotly contested election.

Mgijima says what other parties are doing is “barbaric and uncivilized” and that they fear competition especially from women like her.

“Chiyangwa and Matarutse are cowards as their followers are moving around pulling down my posters. Chiyangwa went even further to pay some printers more money than I had paid not to print my campaigning materials” charged Mgijima.

The situation does not get better in Mutorashanga where Zanu PF candidate Ignatius Chombo is squaring off with two women MDC-T”s Abigail Sauti his ex-wife Marian Chombo in the hotly contested seat.

More than four farm workers at Winray farm owned by Freddy Mutandwa a CAPS Holdings director were evicted allegedly at the instruction of Chombo this week.

Sauti said what pained her most is that the evictions followed a meeting where all contestants met with the police to discuss the election and the need to curtail violence.

In Lion’s Den the MDC-T’s aspiring council candidate Christopher Makoni claims to have been manhandled by the Zanu pf candidate at Murereka police station after reporting to the police that his posters were being pulled down.

Some Shackleton residents accuse Zanu PF members for threatening landlords for accommodating MDC-T members. They allegedly have instructed landlords to evict all perceived MDC-T supporters.

Kizito Shambare is one such unfortunate lodger.

“I’m here in the open during this winter because Zanu PF members threatened my landlady to evict me saying I’m a sellout” said Kizito.

Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed the police are investigating cases of political violence in Chinhoyi and Lion’s Den but refused to divulge details.

Mashonaland West provincial Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee said they are planning meetings in the affected areas with candidates and their campaigning teams.

The situation apparently deteriorated when President Robert Mugabe addressed a star rally at Chnhoyi University of Technology grounds last week. MMPZ Daily Election Report