‘Retire, go babysit your grand kids’ — aspiring Senator Mike Chimombe tells ex-minister Mupfumira
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ECONOMIC Empowerment Group (EEG) president, Mike Chimombe has launched a scathing attack on former Tourism minister, Prisca Mupfumira, describing her as a spent force, who must retire and babysit her grandchildren.
According to latest developments following submission of curriculum vitaes, Mupfumira (66), who is incumbent Makonde Senator, will square up against war veteran Patricia Ndhlovu on the female side while Chimombe is the sole male candidate for the post.
Going by the zebra system which dictates that female candidates contest each other, if Ndhlovu beats Mupfumira, then the EEG president, who is also Zanu PF Central Committee member, becomes the next Senator by virtue of seniority on the packing order.
Addressing scores of Zanu PF supporters at Shackleton Grounds this Wednesday, Chimombe laid into Mupfumira calling on her to relinquish the post to pave way for a more “energetic and clean” candidate.
“My decision to run for Senate was influenced by that l have held many posts within the party, including serving as Zanu PF Youth League deputy national secretary for indigenisation and economic empowerment.
“I have matured in national politics so much that l want to set a precedence for fellow youths to aspire for Senate and Parliament, and other such bodies of influence.
“The Senate chamber must not be viewed as a retirement home where elderly politicians are seconded to go spend time dozing off, but instead it is an important arm that gives oversight on laws passed by Parliament.
“So, to my fellow comrades l am asking for your support to elevate me to Senate. I still have the energy and ideas to push the country forward. l appeal to Mupfumira to retire, go home and babysit her grandkids,” said Chimombe amid applause from the gathering.
The EEG president is chief executive officer of Millitake lnvestments, which funds The Chimombe Foundation that does philanthropic work, including paying fees for disadvantaged children.
Mupfumira, once a powerful Cabinet minister, lost her Zanu PF Politburo post after being embroiled in a US$90 million scandal involving National Social Security Authority (NSSA) funds, which she allegedly used to fund her relative’s lavish wedding.
She surprisingly made a comeback into the party’s Central Committee in the December 2022 polls.
Trial in the multi-million dollar graft case is expected to commence March 27. _*NewZimbabwe*_
