But the targeted members are hitting back at the party
bigwigs, threatening to expose a choreographed plan to seize the structures and
topple President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the December elective congress in favour
of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.
In provinces such as Bulawayo, Matabeleland North,
Manicaland and Mashonaland ast and
Mashonaland Central, there are rumblings of anger following the disputed polls,
with disgruntled members warning that Mnangagwa will be the biggest loser, if
he fails to step in.
“The five million votes that the president wants here in
Matabeleland North, he won’t get anything because of the provincial
coordinator.
“He is killing the party,” said a Zanu PF district official
in an audio obtained by The Standard.
“We have done door to door campaigns recruiting people, but
at the end you have those people removed from the register.
“The president is not aware that these people and top party
officials in the province are removing people from the register to put their
people to make it easy to remove him.”
In Binga, party members have expressed the desire to pass a
vote of no confidence against provincial chairperson Richard Moyo on
allegations that his “team” was involved in massive rigging in the polls.
Moyo is accused of working with Zanu PF secretary for
administration Obert Mpofu to undermine the wishes of the people.
The Provincial Affairs minister defeated Believe Gaule
Ncube in the provincial polls.
Ncube is said to be a loyalist of Mnangagwa and his
supporters say the provincial elections were rigged as part of the alleged plot
against the Zanu PF leader.
In Bulawayo, chairperson Jabulani Sibanda is also under
fire on charges of promoting “factionalism” since he was elected into the post
weeks ago.
In 2019, Sibanda, a former war veterans’ leader was barred
from contesting the Bulawayo chairperson’s post following opposition from some
officials in the province, who said he was not in their structures.
In Manicaland, provincial chairperson Mike Madiro is
allegedly going for the kill in his “witch-hunt” against perceived rivals,
including his main challenger Albert Nyakuedzwa in the provincial polls.
Nyakuedzwa, a Makoni district coordinating committee (DCC)
chairperson, has now been summoned to
appear before a disciplinary committee tomorrow charged with fuelling
factionalism among other charges.
On January 29, Nyakuedzwa was slapped with prohibition
orders alongside his suspected allies in the DCC.
The letter was signed by the secretary of the Zanu PF
provincial disciplinary committee Misheck Mugadza.
Nyakuedzwa lost narrowly to Madiro, but he has accused the
latter of vote rigging.
Other party members, who will appear before the
disciplinary hearing are Phillip Guyo from Buhera North and Ngonidzashe
Mudekunye from Buhera South.
Mudekunye is accused of forming parallel structures in
Buhera South, while Guyo is accused of challenging Willom Mutomba.
Sources in Zanu PF told The Standard yesterday that
Nyakuedzwa would be stripped of his powers as DCC chairperson, which will
relegate him to an ordinary card-carrying member.
“Madiro is going for the kill, he is aware that if he
silences Nyakuedzwa it will be a chilling warning to other perceived rivals in
the province,” said the source
Another source said there is an attempt to throw Nyakuedzwa
into the political “dustbin”.
Madiro is said to be grooming his loyalist Tawanda Mukodza
whom he appointed as his deputy.
Mukodza is the former Manicaland youth leader.
Another source added that Madiro’s attempts to silence critics will backfire
against him.
“Remember Nyakuedzwa had good votes, he was defeated with
few votes, so Madiro should lead a healing process instead of what he is doing.
“It will be difficult to reach the five million votes,” he
added.
Madiro confirmed that the province has moved in to stop
dissent, which he described as gangsterism.
“Should I simply watch when there is indiscipline in the
party?
“We need to act on such indiscipline. As a party we don’t
allow thuggerism and gangsterism,” Madiro said.
In Mashonaland East, provincial chairperson Daniel Garwe,
who is also a minister of National Housing admitted the chaos in the cell
structures in some districts.
“We have cell registers that are in bad shape and we need
to correct that.
“In Murewa district there is a red flag, Marondera also has
a red flag and part of Goromonzi has a red flag.
“We will correct that,” Garwe said during the provincial
executive committee meeting held in Marondera.
The party held its restructuring exercise from cell to
provincial level.
Vicious fights that erupted during the polls were linked to
the alleged factions in Zanu PF linked to Mnangagwa and Chiwenga ahead of the
December congress that will elect new leadership for the ruling party.
The two Zanu PF leaders have in the past dismissed reports
that they were jostling for power.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF has engaged members of the apostolic
sect in Marondera to mobilise support ahead of the March 26 by-election for
Marondera Central constituency.
A high-powered delegation visited an apostolic shrine in
Marondera that is led by Lawrence Katsiru.
Zanu PF boasts of support from apostolic sect members.
In his welcome address, sect leader Madzibaba Ecos Chiore
told the gathering that Zanu PF and the apostolic sect were inseparable.
Katsiru pleaded with the delegation to ensure that youths
from his church benefit from government projects.
The delegation included National Housing minister and
provincial chairperson Daniel Garwe, Youth deputy minister and provincial
political commissar Tinoda Machakaire, provincial youth league chairperson
Isaac Tasikani and Zanu PF Marondera Central candidate Ignatius Mateveke.
Mateveke will be contesting against CCC’s candidate Caston
Matewu, MDC Alliance’s Witness Muzavazi and independent candidate Carlos
Pindire. Standard
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