Mutare-Robert Mugabe’s nephew and former ZANU-PF chairman, controversial Harare businessman Phillip Chiyangwa has castigated the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC and pledged to sponsor ZANU-PF in the next elections scheduled for next year.
Harare controversial businessman Phillip Chiyangwa fears for his wealth if his auncle is booted out of office
Chiyangwa told a ZANU-PF 2010 congress fundraising committee in Mutare at the weekend that ‘to hell with MD-T and its western financiers’ before pledging to provide $100 000 for the holding of the party congress in Mutare next month.
Chiyangwa fears for his wealth if his auncle Robert Mugabe is booted out of office.
“MDC-T should know that ZANU-PF is more than prepared for the election next year, and we are going to fund it in the next election. I as a Zimbabwean I am going to do this so that I defend the country from the west who want to rob us of our resources, “he told the fundraising committee.
Chiyangwa is visible in most ZANU-PF rallies backing the liberation party which he at one time said wanted to swallow him after he was in 2004 arrested and detained for several months on allegations of spying ZANU-PF.
He was however mysteriously acquitted.
He is also visiting members of the apostolic faith sect around the country where he is giving them a loan of $300 dollars for ‘income’ generating projects.
Isau Mupfumi who is a ZANU-PF politburo member also pledged $20 000 for the congress which needs $150 000.
ZANU-PF has intensified its campaign on members of the Apostolic sect this time deploying officials from the Registrar General who are giving birth and national registration certificates at the church gatherings.
One such meeting where birth certificates were issued to the church members was at Gokwe Centre last week where Robert Mugabe’s nephew Phillip Chiyangwa addressed and introduced officials from the registrar general’s office to issue the documents.
The move by ZANU-Pf is aimed at forcing the Apostolic sect members to vote for it in the next election.
Chiyangwa who visited the church congregation last week introduced Birth and Registration officials to the church and
challenged all adults who had no Identity cards to get them throughout the week.
ZANU-PF has targeted Johane Marange Apostolic church because of its huge following. Since the beginning of the year when the party started talking about elections its senior officials have been visible at the church’s gatherings where they are telling them to vote for ZANU-PF come election time.
Sources said Chiyangwa also launched an ‘income generating’ loan project in which he gave every member of the church an interest free US$300 which will be returned in installments.
President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC are calling for elections next year, despite the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC)unpreparedness to conduct a free and fair poll any time soon because of resource constraints
