Located at the rural district council, the office is funded by public funds through Parliament. Undenge accused its administrator, Edison Tendai Mandeya, of using the office to campaign for his political rival, Joshua Sacco.
“This office is funded by parliament so that people can bring their grievances and keep in touch with parliamentary issues. Undenge should reopen this office,” said Pardon Maguta, the MDC district coordinator for Chimanimani district.
Maguta said it was unfair for the people of Chimanimani to be deprived of the important office because of power struggles in the former ruling party.
Caleb Beta, the chairperson of the Chimanimani Residents Association, said the organisation would engage the Ministry of Constitution and Parliamentary Affairs if Undenge failed to reopen the office.
“This is a constituency office and not a political party office. If there were any irregularities in the running of the office, parliament was supposed to intervene. This is scandalous and the MP should be investigated,” said a resident, Japhet Mukwakwami.
Sacco, the Zanu (PF) Secretary for External Affairs in the youth league, plans to contest Undenge during the party’s primary elections later this year. The two clashed last year over a grader which Sacco had availed to the local community for the repairing of the Chikukwa/Cashel road. The deputy minister ordered its removal and is also accused of calling Sacco a pig. When reached for comment, Mandeya referred all questions to Undenge.
When this reporter reached him, promised to phone back, but had not done so at the time of going to press and kept cutting off his phone when called again.
Post published in: News