PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday admitted that his party was in shambles and threatened to descend heavily on party members locked in bloody power struggles.
Addressing an extraordinary session of the Zanu PF
politburo, Mnangagwa said unruly members violating the party constitution would
be dealt with.
Mnangagwa, who said those divisions had no place in Zanu
PF, pleaded for unity and harmony in the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections
where he will seek re-election.
“The party has no room for divisive elements who want
positions at the expense of the party’s discipline, unity, love and harmony and
development,” he said.
“It is alien for our party members to fight for posts; violence
of any kind whether physical or verbal has no place in Zanu PF or in our
country.”
Zanu PF has been rocked by violent power struggles during
its internal party elections over the past months. The fights, which erupted in
Mutare and other districts, portends a deeply divided Zanu PF limping towards
the 2023 elections.
Mnangagwa was last month forced to postpone provincial
elections indefinitely as fights for positions turned nasty.
The party’s district elections also turned violent in
Harare and Manicaland provinces, while haggling has forced delays in some
provinces.
In Mutare, protests against provincial chairperson Mike
Madiro ended badly, with some party youth led by Danmore Mambondiyani bashed by
the provincial leader’s backers. In Harare, a fight between Godwin Gomwe and
Godwills Masimirembwa ended in court.
In Mashonaland Central, a nasty fight between incumbent
chairperson Kazembe Kazembe and businessman Tafadzwa Musarara has triggered
friction and an exchange of words in party WhatsApp groups.
“Those who wantonly violate and desecrate our party
constitution’s peaceful culture and values must be dealt with decisively
without fear or favour,” Mnangagwa said.
He added that Zanu PF must now unleash its machinery
towards mobilising voters to register, since it was now all systems go ahead
for the elections.
“It is now all systems go towards harmonised elections, the
electorate must be mobilised to vote and appreciate the scope of the polling
station-based exercise,” Mnangagwa said.
Facing a crumbling economy, unhappy civil service and a
hungry ordinary voter, Mnangagwa brandished the Western sanctions card, telling
politburo members that the restrictions were the reason behind human rights
abuses, poverty and lack of development in the country.
He accused the West of trying to effect regime change,
adding that they had been stopped by alert young people.
“Young people continue to resist these sanctions and other
manoeuvres as tools of regime change. This is more critical as our detractors
continue to exhibit their nefarious modus operandi with regards marring our
national image. Moreso, as we approach the 2023 harmonised elections,”
Mnangagwa said.
Acting party political commissar Patrick Chinamasa also
confirmed the infighting, promising to deploy senior party members to provinces
and districts to iron out differences among members.
“We are promising to deploy politburo members to provinces
to address them and the DCC’s to receive any complains about the restructuring
excises and take any solutions that are needed where possible,” Chinamasa told
a post-politburo briefing.
Zanu PF acting spokesperson Mike Bimha said the ruling
party had received defectors from the MDC Alliance and the National Patriotic
Front (NPF) in Kwekwe.
“Zanu PF received 200 members who defected from MDC and the
NPF, all of whom have defected to the party in Kwekwe alone. Their message has
been the same that they are coming back home. The politburo directed all party
structures to embrace and welcome our returning comrades with both hands and
also help them to settle and contribute towards the party,” Bimha said. Newsday
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