KARIBA mayor Ralph Nyasha Maoneyi is in the eye of a storm after he allegedly attended a Provincial Development Committee (PDC) meeting in Chinhoyi, which was attended by Zanu PF leadership, government departments and mayors from Mashonaland West province.
According to reports, the agenda of the meeting included review of the provincial development plan and summary presentations of Zanu PF resolutions, sparking controversy among Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) members in Kariba.
The accusations, first leaked in a provincial CCC WhatsApp group, which Maoneyi was a member before being removed by one of the administrators.
Some CCC members in Kariba felt betrayed by Maoneyi’s attendance, while the mayor himself did not refute the accusations.
He only said internal issues should be discussed internally.
“So I won't say anything further about this,” he said.
However, defending Maoneyi, one CCC member, who preferred to remain anonymous due to fear of victimisation, accused the CCC Kariba district chairperson and ward 6 councillor, George Masendu, of confusion.
“PDC is a channel used to bring provincial development through and he is the chairman. But they are saying he should not attend, saying it is a Zanu PF board.
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“The government is Zanu PF-led; what’s the difference? Devolution comes from a Zanu PF-led government. The district chair, Masendu, is behind the mayor’s intimidation. He wants him expelled and get into his place and collect the car the mayor is entitled to," the CCC member said.
CCC Kariba constituency co-ordinator Simbarashe Sam Mutinha acknowledged that members were unhappy after learning that the mayor attended a meeting identified as a Zanu PF event due to its agenda items.
“When people mess up, they try to blame others. Why is this now? Before the mayor attended this Zanu PF meeting, there was no such report,” he said.
Mutinha said most PDC meetings were genuinely government meetings without Zanu PF presentations.
He described the situation as “purely drama where ratepayers’ money is being wasted on false government programmes which have a party agenda.”
Asked about his ambitions for the mayoral post, Masendu denied any intention to reclaim the position.
“I have no aspirations to become the mayor. Having held the position before, I focused on bringing development to Kariba to the best of my abilities. Now, as council finance chairperson, I am content with my role. Rumours are just drama to me,” he said.
“Those directly involved can comment on it. Social media can spread true or false information and I am not sure where this is coming from. We are currently awaiting the new leadership under advocate president Nelson Chamisa. If there are any plans, I am not privy to them, but for now, we are waiting.”
Leaked messages in the CCC WhatsApp group further fuelled tensions. One message read, "Leave him, he is Zanu PF. He left the party, CCC, long back. Even in his ward, they no longer know him and this means we now have a Zanu PF mayor, not a CCC one."
Another member responded, "A person is still innocent, champion, until proven guilty. So let us give the mayor time to respond before jumping to any conclusions."
After Maoneyi responded in the group, some members continued posting messages, reflecting the deep divisions and uncertainty within the party.
