ZANU PF member of the National Assembly for Zaka North Rabson Mavenyengwa, who is challenging minister of State for Masvingo Ezra Chadzamira (pictured) for the ruling party’s provincial chairmanship in the upcoming elections, cheated death on Tuesday morning after he was involved in a car accident on his way to Harare near the Gokomere turnoff.
MORRIS BISHI
Mavenyengwa, who is believed to be a front man for a faction led by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, was driving a Mercedes Benz E270 which mysteriously veered off the road in an incident which his supporters blame on his political rivals whom they believe wanted to eliminate him due to his growing support from the Zanu PF grassroots ahead of the party’s provincial elections expected this month.
Chadzamira, believed to be President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s strong ally in the province due to his links to the President dating back to the Mugabe era, will face off with Mavenyengwa, a former police intelligence chief in an election expected to go either way in a factionalism-ridden province.
Mavenyengwa confirmed the accident to The NewsHawks and said he was still in shock. It happened on his way to Harare to attend Parliament a few metres before he reached Gokomere from Masvingo. He further said the vehicle he was driving is less than a year old and was parked most of the time at his home in Masvingo.
“I was involved in a mysterious accident on my way to Harare on Tuesday near Gokomere area. The vehicle veered off the road, but I was lucky that it happened when I was not speeding. lf I had been speeding, it was going to be a different story as I speak.
“I rarely used this vehicle which I bought last year and I don’t know why I chose it that day since it was parked most of the time at my home in Masvingo urban. I still have many questions over the accident, but it is difficult for me to get answers, but l am happy that l am alive,” Mavenyengwa said.
A senior member of the Chiwenga faction in the province told The NewsHawks that their faction is treating the accident as an attempt by the rival faction to eliminate their candidate.
He said they suspect that the vehicle was tampered with during the period it was parked at Mavengengwa’s home sometime last weekend after some members aligned to the Chadzamira faction unexpectedly visited after a provincial coordinating committee meeting.
“We are treating this accident as an attempt on our candidate’s life. This is what we believe. We might be wrong, but if you follow what happened you will not get answers. The vehicle just veered off the road with all its wheels intact, but with the grace of God nothing bad happened and from now onwards we are playing with caution,” the Zanu PF senior member said.
A ruling party provincial member from Mwenezi who is aligned to a faction supporting Chadzamira dismissed the assassination attempt claim, saying there is no need to employ dirty tricks on Mavenyengwa since Chadzamira is going to win the elections freely.
He said raising unfounded allegations is a way of eliciting sympathy, but the tactic will not work.
