THE opposition Zapu has reaffirmed a contentious resolution barring presidential aspirants who have not been card-carrying members of the party for the past five years from contesting the presidency at its elective congress set for next month.
The congress is slated for end of October in Bulawayo.
Party insiders said the resolution was allegedly targeted
at, among others, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, the son of the late Zapu founding leader
Joshua Nkomo.
Nkomo has been accused by other presidential aspirants of
being an inheritance hunter, adding that he was a late comer and wanted to turn
the party into a “family and clan dynasty”.
On Saturday, the party’s National People’s Congress (NPC)
held a meeting to deliberate on calls to drop the five-year mandatory clause
for one to be eligible to contest the presidency.
A vote overseen by the party’s national council of elders
saw 24 members of the NPC drawn from Bulawayo, Harare, Britain, the United
States and South Africa voting in favour of the clause.
Eighteen members voted against the clause, according to an
update given by Zapu secretary-general Strike Mnkandla.
Mnkandla told Southern Eye that the clause was necessary to
block “omafikizolo” (Johny-come-latelies) and Zanu PF proxies from assuming the
party’s reins.
“The idea is that when choosing people, we must ensure that
someone does not come from Zanu PF and contest party positions. You cannot just
have an open-door policy. As such, members must be paid up, must have served
the party in various capacities for years and so forth,” Mnkandla, who is also
eyeing the presidency, said.
“It (decision) simply says you cannot contest for the
leadership when you have never served in any organ, in any district or in any
capacity. This decision is not meant to penalise anybody but to ensure that
aspiring leaders know where the organisation is, where it has come from and
where it is going. It has to be a continuous process.”
Nkomo, who resigned in March as chairperson of both the
Joshua Nkomo Cultural Movement and the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Restoration Project
Trust, after entering the race for the Zapu presidency, yesterday maintained
that he was qualified to contest.
“It does not affect me. I have been a card-carrying member
of the party since 2010,” he said.
Other Zapu party members eyeing the presidency are
spokesperson Iphithule Maphoda, Matabeleland South spokesperson Matthew
Sibanda, Bernard Magugu and Mqondobanzi Magonya.
Issac Mabuka, who has been acting president since the death
of Dumiso Dabengwa, opted out of the race. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment