Suburban
ZANU PF has urged Ward 16 Councillor Denford Ngadziore of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) to desist from playing politics whenever there are issues affecting the community.
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
The ruling party comments follow Cllr Ngadziore’s post on the residents’ WhatsApp group on Monday evening where he accused unnamed ZANU PF bigwigs of offering protection to drug peddlers in Haig Park.
“At Number 1/88th Avenue in Haig Park, there’s big business of selling Mutoriro (a type of a drug). Both the landlord, Constance and her lady tenant have messed up the young ones by selling drugs.
“They boast to their neighbours that they are untouchable because they know ZANU PF big wigs,” Cllr Ngadziore claimed in the post.
ZANU PF District Coordinating Committee 4 Secretary for Administration, Cde Spencer Mackenzie Mabeka said everyone regardless of political affiliation should unite whenever there are issues affecting the ward.
“We as a party do not subscribe to lawlessness including things like drug and substance abuse. We have got zero tolerance on such things,” he said.
Cde Mabeka said two years ago, President Mnangagwa set up a Cabinet Ministerial Committee to deal with issues of drug and substance abuse at a time the use of drugs such as mutoriro, marijuana, cocaine and abuse of certain prescription drugs such as Broncleer was rising.
“So for the councillor now to come out and say there’s a group of people in Ward 16 who are selling drugs to teenagers and kids and getting protection from ZANU PF that’s very wrong and very unfortunate,” he said.
Cde Mabeka urged Cllr Ngadziore to conduct thorough investigations first before accusing people of any wrongdoing.
“As councillor, Mr Ngadziore can approach us as part of the leadership of Harare West Constituency and Ward 16 and ask us ‘guys, there’s this rumour or speculation going down and then we take it upon ourselves and investigate the allegations that people from ZANU PF are protecting people distributing mutoriro in Ward 16,” said Cde Mabeka.
He said the ruling party had no members living at the address in question at Haig Park.
“At 1/88th Avenue in Haig Park, we have no members who stay there and I have sent our youths to look into the issue. There’s some funny activities going on there of cars going in and out but to say they are doing so and they are getting protection from ZANU PF, it’s very wrong,” said the ZANU PF official.
Cde Mabeka said Cllr Ngadziore should talk to the person in question, Constance and she should say out which of the leadership in Ward 16 is protecting them and encouraging them to sell drugs.
“I think I will take it upon myself, I will personally visit the area and I will look for the lady Constance and the lady tenant and get more information but we are especially concerned — in Harare West because we have no members who are residing at 1/88th Ave, Haig Park,” he said.
But after visiting Haig Park on Thursday Cde Mabeka reported that there was no such address in the suburb.
“88th Avenue is not in Haig Park, it’s in Sunridge,” he said.
Cde Mabeka said the mix-up of suburbs shows that Cllr Ngadziore is not familiar with the area.
“Denford is a Glen View resident. He came about three months or so before the 2018 elections. That’s when we found out he was a candidate for local authority (elections).
“He doesn’t know much about Ward 16 that’s why he makes these errors.
“So if he’s saying he knows her place in 88th Avenue, Haig Park where a lady being protected by ZANU PF is selling drugs when it’s not in Haig Park, it shows it’s just hearsay,” he said.
Cde Mabeka said he also found out that the said Constance lady was not a ZANU PF member.
“I have just gone to the hood and found out that the lady in question, Constance is over 75 years old and since I have been chairman, I don’t recall seeing her coming to our party meetings or being a member.
“It must be someone else not her. She’s not our member and we do to subscribe to such kind of things as ZANU PF.
“We know each other very well in the hood. I have been staying in the hood for more than 25 years,” said Cde Mabeka.
Of late Cllr Ngadziore has been at the centre of some conflicts in Ward 16.
Last month the CCC members under his leadership were accused of allegedly selling stands on greenways in Ward 16 to fund party activities ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
He was also accused of leading the demolitions of residents’ security walls.
ZANU PF said it had discovered that Cllr Ngadziore and his party members had put security walls around most of the greenways on Hallingbury Road in Sunridge.
Cde Mabeka said the opposition members were now using a place in Mabelreign as their office for CCC activities and were planning to grab one of these greenways which is about 3 000 or 4 000 square metres to build their permanent headquarters.
In Sunridge residents have been left to gaze at their losses after the recent demolitions of security walls under the watch of Cllr Ngadziore and council officials.
The demolitions were effected under the guise of preventing land barons from settling on greenways in the ward but some residents’ security walls were also affected in the confusion that ensued towards the festive period in December.
Last week, Sunridge residents expressed concern over the demolitions.
The residents said they voted Cllr Ngadziore for him to help them in the ward but he had led the demolition of their security walls. Cllr Ngadziore apologised for his actions but residents will have to foot the expenses of rebuilding the security walls.
