HARARE – Zanu PF Youth League secretary Pupurai Togarepi has courted controversy after making a snide remark about Julius Malema’s wife while trolling the South African opposition leader on Twitter.
The 55-year-old Togarepi was accused of misogyny after referencing Mantwa Malema’s artificial nails in a comment about the Economic Freedom Fighters’ failure to win last Wednesday’s elections.
“You lost Mr. Malema. Too much parroting will not give you a win. Go and replace your wife’s lost pseudo nails quietly,” Togarepi tweeted.
The reference to Mantwa’s nails comes after an election official tried to get her to remove an artificial nail before allowing her to vote. The election official claimed that they could not apply the ink to indicate that one has voted on an artificial nail – before senior officials intervened and said there was nothing in the election rules stating that women with artificial nails cannot vote.
Zimbabweans were highly critical of Togarepi, thought to be the oldest youth leader of a political party in the world.
“And what does Malema’s wife have to do with you or anything else?,” Tonderayi Zhuwawo asked Togarepi.
“Where is Malema’s wife coming in? Show some leadership and drop misogyny,” Simiso Mlevu, a journalist, weighed in.
But why draging his wife in this, cde? Deal with @Julius_S_Malema not the wife.
— Stanley Karombo (@StanleyKarombo) May 10, 2019
Togarepi and other Zanu PF officials have not forgiven Malema for searing criticism of their leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Malema recently claimed Mnangagwa will not finish his term and described him as a “sell-out” for agreeing compensation for white farmers who lost land during Zimbabwe’s land reforms.
Previously, in August last year, Malema advised Mnangagwa to serve one term saying he was “too old”.
Malema’s EFF grew by four percentage points in its share of the national vote to just over 10 percent in the election, increasing its MPs from 25 to 44 in the process. The ANC won by 57.5 percent.
