THE ghosts of factionalism and tribalism — which split Zanu
PF in the middle during the troubled last few years in power of the late former
president Robert Mugabe — are back with a vengeance, the Daily News reports.
This comes as there are widening fissures in the former
liberation movement, which recently jettisoned two politburo members — Cleveria
Chizema and Tendai Savanhu — for allegedly showing disloyalty to the party and
its leadership.
It also comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who ascended
to power via a popular military coup, has come under growing pressure from
long-suffering Zimbabweans over his government’s failure to mend the country’s
broken economy.
Speaking in Harare on Tuesday, the ruling party’s political
commissar Victor Matemadanda admitted that the former liberation movement was
plagued by tribalism and regionalism — warning Zanu PF structures further that
failure to nip this in the bud would have serious ramifications for its
survival.
Matemadanda, who is also the deputy minister of Defence,
emphasised that the current divisions in the party centred on tribalism.
“We respected (the late vice president Joshua) Nkomo as our
leader. People from Plumtree up to Mutoko sang songs praising Nkomo.
“Our relationship should not be premised on tribalism and
regionalism. Some are saying let us wait and see whether we are going to
support a certain leader or not.
“That’s what you are doing here in Harare … this habit has
grown in Harare. It is now like a huge tree and you are saying we are tribal
specialists.
“This is not good for the party and it must stop,”
Matemadanda warned while addressing Zanu PF structures.
He added that he was
having sleepless nights, with party cadres phoning him regularly regarding the
many problems that were bedevilling the party.
“I give everyone my numbers … you hear during midnight some
leaders calling, telling me about party problems.
“Leaders must be able to solve problems. If you are a
leader and you don’t know how to solve challenges leave that position. You must
not be elected as a leader to trouble us.
“We have some people who can’t even write their names, but
they want to be elected as chairpersons. Even Jesus said blessed are those who
admit that there are some who are better than them.
“If we want to make Zanu PF strong, let’s start with Harare
… The party is destroyed by people who don’t care, who lose nothing at the end
of the day,” Matemadanda further told the structures.
“If we destroy the party, some people can go and fit
everywhere like Jimmy Kunaka who is now accusing the party of using him.
“If you joined us, tell us your previous history. We must
not hear this from other sources. People must know that for the party to grow
we must be united. If you kill others who are you going to work with?
“If we had a meeting like this, some must not come out
saying what has been deliberated is wrong,” Matemadanda added.
The Zanu PF political commissar also lashed out at
officials whom he accused of abusing social media to tarnish the party,
especially on WhatsApp.
“Harare province and the party are being destroyed because
of WhatsApp. We told you before that we must not discuss party issues on
WhatsApp.
“You are in a WhatsApp group with many people and you think
what you are discussing is a secret?” Matemadanda asked rhetorically.
“I don’t personally want people who rush to comment about
things. I come from the Midlands … but if I take all the problems from Midlands
to Harare it will not be good.
“When you are a leader, you must be able to solve some
problems. As a leader you encounter problems every day. We don’t want leaders who go on Twitter and Facebook
exposing party problems,” Matemadanda warned further.
This comes as more and more Zanu PF bigwigs are bemoaning
the resurgence of the party’s factional, tribal and succession demons which
devastated the former liberation movement during Mugabe’s last few years in
power.
Then, Mnangagwa was involved in a hammer and tongs war with
the party’s Generation 40 (G40) faction — which had coalesced around the
nonagenarian’s erratic wife Grace.
The vicious brawling took a nasty turn when Mnangagwa was
allegedly poisoned by his rivals during one of Mugabe’s highly-divisive youth
interface rallies in Gwanda in 2017.
The then VP’s fate was eventually sealed on November 6,
2017 when Mugabe fired his long-time lieutenant a few days after his allies had
booed the irascible Grace during a tense rally at White City Stadium in
Bulawayo.
However, tables were dramatically turned on Mugabe when the
military rolled in their tanks on November 15 of that year and deposed the
long-ruling leader from power — which saw a number of alleged G40 kingpins
fleeing into self-imposed exile soon afterwards.
But despite Mnangagwa’s ascendancy to power, some ambitious
bigwigs in the former liberation movement continue to stand accused of plotting
to unseat the new Zanu PF leader.
Meanwhile, Parliament has just held public hearings across
the country — ahead of Constitutional Amendment Number 2 Bill to be debated in
the august House — where it is expected to sail through as Zanu PF enjoys a
super majority.
Critics say the Bill — which seeks to introduce at least 27
amendments to the Constitution, including dropping the presidential election
running mate clause — is retrogressive.
The running mate clause was supposed to become operational
from the fast-approaching 2023 general elections, which Mnangagwa has already
indicated he will participate in.
The Bill also intends to amend the country’s supreme law to
give Mnangagwa the power to appoint the prosecutor-general, extend the terms of
retiring judges, increase the women’s quota in Parliament by 10 years, create a
youth quota in the National Assembly, and appoint more non-constituency
ministers, among other things. Daily News
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