More bad blood in ZANU-PF

Ousted former justice minister Fortune Chasi cross swords with Martin Dinha.

A BRUISING war of words pitting expelled deputy minister for justice, legal and parliamentary affairs, Fortune Chasi, and Mashonaland Central Minister for Provincial Affairs, Martin Dinha, has erupted in another episode highlighting the ongoing turf wars blighting ZANU-PF.

Chasi threw caution to the wind and came out guns blazing, accusing Dinha of fomenting his downfall. A lawyer by profession, Chasi was sacked from government towards the end of last year. His sacking followed disclosures by the First Lady, Grace Mugabe, that Chasi was frustrating her efforts to expand her projects in Mazowe valley.

Chasi, the legislator for Mazowe South, is one of the Members of Parliament facing expulsion from ZANU-PF. Chasi denied attempting to block the First Lady saying she was misled by his “persecutor,” Dinha. He said Dinha had incited ZANU-PF youths in the province to turn against him adding that he was no longer able to move freely in his own constituency as he was now a marked man.

“The source of all my problems is the dishonest leadership of Martin Dinha. I place the entire issue at his doorstep and I have told him that personally in so many ways,” Chasi said.

“Dinha has been fighting me for many years in the province. First he chucked me out of my farm, Lazy 7, because he wanted to move in the first batch of villagers evicted from Manzou. He even asked me for assistance to transport the people and I gave my lorries. He then asked me to move to another farm in Mvurwi only for him to say later that the ‘top people’ had ordered that I could not settle there. I lost many cattle as a result of that,” he said.

Asked what could be the reason for the bad blood between them, Chasi said: “For him, it is a tool of survival to rubbish others and stand on a pedestal projecting himself as the clean one. We are both lawyers so he could be eyeing the justice ministry.”

But Dinha denied the accusations. “I am actually shocked he said that. I spoke to him recently over the phone and he never raised that issue. He says I am fighting to replace him as deputy minister of justice, but what kind of politics could that be where one fights for a position lower than the one they currently occupy? I am already a minister and I cannot be fighting to be demoted,” said Dinha.

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