Jacob Rukweza, who reportedly passed all internal processes to represent the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in the upcoming elections as aspiring councillor for Chitungwiza ward 17, claims his nomination papers were fraudulently removed from list by fellow party candidates in “daylight robbery”.
Rukweza claims he came first in the internal party elections and he was confirmed by the leadership as the candidate for ward 17. He, however, accused other party members who are also aspiring councillors, Lovemore Maiko, Musa Makweza and Kudakwashe John of conniving to pull out his signed nomination papers and hide them.
In a long letter to ward 17 residents, Rukweza cried foul saying:
“Following these processes I was duly chosen as the official candidate to represent Ward 17 in Chitungwiza by the Citizens Independent Candidate Selection Panel (CISP). On nomination day the party director of organising Farai Chinobva confirmed by telephone that I was the official CCC candidate for Ward 17 and instructed me to proceed to the nomination court and wait for my nomination papers there.
“I did as instructed. I also got confirmation from a member of the team that was transporting Chitungwiza candidates nomination papers to the nomination court that my nomination papers were ready and signed,” read part of the letter.
“However the situation changed as soon as the official in charge of supervising the nomination process on behalf on the party Mirima Katumba also known as Mai White left for Harare after surrendering all the nomination papers to 3 fellow candidates namely Lovemore Maiko (former mayor), Musa Makweza (former deputy mayor) and Kudakwashe John.
“Suddenly my nomination papers were nowhere to be found and this is how the daylight robbery of my right to represent Ward 17 in the forthcoming elections started. It later turned out that the three comrades had decided to use the opportunity to abuse the delegated responsibility to secure their well known future ambitions in council by barring me from being part of the next group of Chitungwiza councillors as they believe my expected presence in council would be a stumbling block to their unbridled ambitions and plans to become mayor and deputy mayor for a second term after the elections.
“To achieve their objective to sideline me and stop me from being part of the next council Lovemore Maiko, Musa Makweza and Kudakwashe John connived to pull out my signed nomination papers and hide them. One of them proceeded to telephone Veronica Gutu who came third in the popularity contest in Ward 17 to come and replace me. The Trio From Hell proceeded to instruct Mai Gutu to bring new photos and new nomination papers which they filed together with signatures and party symbols taken from my own nomination papers which they still have.
“All this happened while everybody thought Mai Gutu was being processed for the Women’s Quota only to discover when it was too late that a grand heist was happening in the nomination court and I had been robbed. The trio had collected my original birth certificate and ID and from others and had pretended to be processing my nomination papers for everyone on behalf of the party.”
He described the situation as a “daylight robbery” but pledged to support the party to win the plebiscite set to be held on the 23rd of August.
“This is how I ended up not filing my nomination papers. It was a result of the daylight robbery by people I trusted and thought were my comrades. I have now learnt that for some reason Lovemore Maiko and Musa Makweza considered me a threat and a stumbling block to their ambitions to become mayor and deputy mayor in the next council. And for that reason I paid the price by being sidelined and prevented from filing my nomination papers to represent Ward 17 in the forthcoming elections.
“In my place they co-opted Veronica Gutu who came third in our internal popularity contest in Ward 17. It appears Mai Gutu an illiterate and pliant old woman in her late 60s fitted well in their future plans.
“It may be important to note that while I have been a loyal cadre of the movement since 1999 Veronica Gutu the candidate whom they handpicked to replace me rebelled against the movement in 2018 and was a polling agent for an Independent Candidate in Chitungwiza North Assan Mutembo and was stationed at Key College Polling Station. It is astonishing how fellow cadres are not comfortable working with long-time and loyal comrades and instead prefer to collaborate with those who have openly rebelled against the movement in the past.
“However I must state in no uncertain terms that while I blame my three comrades Lovemore Maiko, Musa Makweza and Kudakwashe John for staging a palace coup against me by conniving to pull out my nomination papers and robbing me of my earned right to represent the party in Ward 17 I hold no grudge against Mai Gutu an old woman who was used as a pawn by over ambitious and shameless political thugs with selfish motives. I therefore promise to support and campaign for Mai Gutu and all CCC candidates in the forthcoming elections.
“Let me therefore take this opportunity to urge all Ward 17 CCC champions, residents, and stakeholders who supported me throughout the candidate selection process to put the daylight robbery behind us and rally behind President Nelson Chamisa, Chitungwiza South MP candidate Maxwell Mavhunga and Ward 17 council candidate Veronica Gutu in the forthcoming elections,” he said.
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