The former Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube who resigned his post over allegations of adultery, is reported to have thrown his hat into the political ring and it's been alleged that he will challenge Robert Mugabe in next year's elections.

Unconfirmed reports say Ncube will head a new party and is already locked in meetings with the Zimbabwe African People's Union Federal party (ZAPU-FP) and the Patriotic Union of Matabeleland (PUMA) over a possible formation.

A report by regional publication First Post says, 'Pius is determined to fight Mugabe on the political front. All along he has been supporting other candidates, but none of them has been able to topple Mugabe. So this time he is taking the bull by the horns.' The publication approached Ncube who neither confirmed nor denied the story saying, 'I will issue a statement to answer your questions very soon.' Ncube is said to have won the sympathy of over 60 community based organisations that put their weight behind the Pius Ncube Solidarity Coalition.

Sister Tshabalala from the cathedral in Bulawayo told Newsreel that they were not aware of any such moves by the former Archbishop. We were told that Ncube still works at the cathedral offices and so far there had been no talk of him forming or joining a political party. Ncube was not reachable the whole day as he was taking part in prayers for priests in the diocese. A source close to Ncube said he might call a press conference to either dispel or confirm the swelling rumours about his possible entry into full time politics.

Speaking from Bulawayo another of our contacts Zenzele, says he doubts Ncube will enter the political arena. Various political parties are trying to woo the former archbishop into running for a parliamentary seat in forthcoming parliamentary elections, but Ncube has so far declined. He is more likely to be involved in civil society organisations than political parties Zenzele argued. Being a churchman would compromise his standing if he aligned himself with a particular political party. There are several church groupings Ncube can play a key role in and those close to him say that is likely to be his chosen route.