NEW information emerging from Zanu PF corridors indicates that the current factional fights in the ruling party are emanating from a 2017 power-sharing deal gone sour, NewsDay has gathered.
Pressure is mounting on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to
hand over power to his deputy Constantino Chiwenga because, according to the
fundamentals of the November 2017 coup that overthrew the late former President
Robert Mugabe, he was supposed to serve one term and then hand over power to
the former army general, some former Zanu PF members have claimed.
However, Mnangagwa has indicated that he will run for the
second term, with his allies pushing to declare him a life President, further
widening the rift between the two.
The latest fissures come as Mnangagwa has turned to several
religious groups for support.
Disgruntled serving and ex-Zanu PF members have in the past
week amplified calls for Mnangagwa to step down, in what analysts described as
a confirmation of the imploding factionalism in the second republic.
Interestingly, the ex-Zanu PF members are using the same
script applied in the build-up to Mugabe’s overthrow, which eventually led to
Mnangagwa taking over on the back of the coup.
This script is also one that has torn apart Zanu PF since
the 1990s when staunch party cadres such as the late Edgar Tekere had to leave
the party to form the Zimbabwe Unity Movement, following disgruntlement over
Mugabe’s long stay in power.
A former Zanu PF youth leader, Jim Kunaka, said Mnangagwa
should honour the 2017 coup agreement and hand over power to Chiwenga.
“If they had agreed with General Chiwenga that he would
give him five years to rule, what prompted him to change today, that he refuses
to give him a chance? There is no need to go for congress,” Kunaka, who now
represents the Zanu PF Original, said yesterday.
“He (Mnangagwa) must honour what he agreed with Chiwenga
that he would rule for a single term. He has already created parallel
structures — Varakashi, Young Women for ED, Men BelievED … Those are now people
who are loyal to him and not the organisation itself,” Kunaka added.
Former Zanu PF youth commissar Godfrey Tsenengamu, who now
leads the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe party, on Wednesday
warned that Mnangagwa would lose the 2023 poll.
Tsenengamu was fired from the ruling party following a
“name and shame” sting operation meant to expose corrupt party biigwigs.
“It will be disgraceful if you don’t change the way you are
doing things. Come 2023, you won’t win if you are the candidate. Even if you
will be contesting against me, you won’t win. Those near Mnangagwa, tell them
that the fool said stop your bad ways. You are going nowhere. If we reach 2023
and if you are a candidate, you won’t win. The only thing you can do is make
amends with some people,” he said.
Zanu PF information director Tafadzwa Mugwadi condemned
attempts by “individuals to seek the unconstitutional removal of President
Mnangagwa” from office.
He dismissed the Mnangagwa and Chiwenga rivalry claims as
false and warned Kunaka and Tsenengamu that they were “playing with fire”.
“To even seek to invite our esteemed defence forces into
these baseless claims is most unfortunate. As director of information, I remind
the public to ignore the two embattled renegades and those behind them, for
they are not members of Zanu PF anymore.
“While it is expected that individuals can be excited,
playing with fire is beyond one’s limits. It is one thing to criticise Cde
Mnangagwa as a Zanu PF president and first secretary and a different thing
altogether to seek the unconstitutional removal of His Excellency, Cde
Mnangagwa as President of Zimbabwe. To attempt the latter expressly or
impliedly will be tantamount to asking for tragic consequences,” Mugwadi
charged.
Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the latest
developments confirmed a serious lack of cohesion in Zanu PF.
“These utterances confirm a couple of things, which are
elite discohesion in the Zanu PF faction ruling the country; limited progress
in attempts to reunite Zanu PF factions after the coup in 2017; and increasing
call by young people in Zanu PF and Zimbabwe in general for the old leaders to
rest and allow young people the driving seat in line with the bulging youthful
population of the country,” Saungweme said.
“But this is where it ends — mainly Zanu PF power reconfiguration
demands and factional fights. Very little from these Zanu PF activists has to
do with the need for democracy and total change in Zimbabwe.”
Another analyst Rashweat Mukundu said utterances by Kunaka
and Tsenengamu showed that Mnangwga’s support was diminishing.
“There is no doubt that politics is heating up in Zanu PF
towards the elective congress. Trust in ED both as a national leader and as an
electable person is at its lowest and other potential leaders, including
Chiwenga, are possibly assessing their chances, hence the cropping up of all
these statements and groups by Kunaka and Tsenengamu,” Mukundu said.
Mnangagwa has intensified his re-election campaign by
engaging churches to gain political edge over his rivals as the race for the
2023 plebiscite hots up.
On Saturday, the Zanu PF leader attended a church service
at the Johanne Marange Apostolic Sect Passover service held in Mafararikwa at
St Noah’s shrine, where he urged thousands of congregants in attendance to
support him.
Last month, Mnangagwa joined worshippers of the African
Apostolic Church led by Paul Mwazha in Chirumanzu, Midlands province, where he
also solicited for support in the upcoming 2023 polls.
There are indications that the Zanu PF leader is also
expected to grace a Zion Christian Church conference at Defe in Gokwe next
month.
The church is led by Nehemiah Mutendi.
This is reminiscent of the late former President Robert
Mugabe era, during which the ruling party would go to churches to garner
support.
At the Marange shrine, Mnangagwa heaped praises on the
leaders, describing them as champions of peace.
“I was invited to come to this feast at the beginning of
April. My friend, the late St Noah phoned and requested to see me at the State
House and he came and we met. He prayed. I was shocked and saddened by his
death,” he said .
“When I received the news of his death, I could not believe
it because we had met the previous month. He was in the company of his son, the
new high priest. Little did I know that he was introducing me to the new leader
of the church
“Despite his youthfulness, high priest Nimrod has shown
great leadership qualities as evidenced by how he has successfully organised
this year’s Passover gathering. I have never addressed such a big crowd and I
am at a loss of words.”
The Johanne Marange Apostolic sect has, however, been
accused of condoning child marriages, which women’s rights activists are
fighting to eradicate.
Information ministry secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana
described Mnangagwa’s attendance at the Marange shrine as a “big day”.
“Today is a big day, the High Priest St Nimrod is seated
together with the Head of State,” Mangwana posted on Twitter.
“This government was prophesied in 1957, which is why the
Holy Spirit is moving hand in hand with the leadership. Blessed are those who
have witnessed this day, let’s us rejoice in it.”
Zanu PF has, since under Mugabe’s rule, been accused of
using religious leaders to control civil unrest amid socio-economic turmoil.
Newsday
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