By Tatenda Mabasa
RAFFINGORA – The cold war between Local Government, Rural and Urban Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo and his ex wife Marian Mhloyi is due to be rekindled as the two square it off when they battle to represent Zanu PF in next general elections.
According to party insiders Chombo’s former wife, who challenged him in the court of law where they both shared properties, is now campaigning in Zvimba North where Chombo is the current Member of Parliament.
Chombo is a member of the former ruling party’s supreme body the politburo.
Another aspiring candidate in the same constituency is Edwin Matibiri who is a close relative to President Robert Mugabe. Party sources said Chombo is fighting a ‘’real war’’ to win ahead of primaries as his former wife is gaining ground.
‘’There is likely to be a real war as Chombo’s former wife was in the background during his political heydays. Matibiri has also shown interest in representing the party’’ added another source who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
It was not possible to get a comment from Chombo, his former wife Mhloyi and Matibiri whose mobile phones were unreachable at the time of writing.
The divorce case hogged the limelight as it exposed how much wealth Chombo had amassed as a poorly paid Government minister. The divorce case exposed how he owned properties in nearly every town in the country.
Justice Ben Hlatshwayo granted a divorce decree in September last year and the wife got confirmed matrimonial properties that included six haulage trucks and trailers, an AVM bus, an 18 tonne truck, a tanker, four cars and eight immovable properties in a case that dragged for four years.
Meanwhile Zanu PF’s selection criteria for party primary elections remains shrouded in secrecy and this has seen some aspiring candidates campaigning clandestinely.
