Zanu PF has moved to curb squabbles bedevilling the party through banning several WhatsApp groups in Masvingo province, which the party said are not serving any purpose but just fuelling factionalism.
In an urgent notice addressed to all members including
affiliate organizations, Provincial Secretary for Information Pepukai Chiwewe
instructed that all WhatsApp groups which talk about or have any links to Zanu
PF be dissolved.
“Instruction has been issued by the Security Department to
dissolve or delete all WhatsApp groups that talk or have links or have anything
to do with the party Zanu PF with immediate effect.
“However, constituencies, wards or party districts are
still allowed to formulate, manage and organize one group which incorporate(s)
every party member,” read the notice.
It also indicated that District Coordinating Committee
(DCC) chairpersons and secretaries for information from all organs will be
monitoring activities in the allowed WhatsApp groups, before warning members to
adhere to the order with immediate effect, failure to which they will face the
law.
“The department of information would like to warn all
members to remain guided by the constitution of the party and keep their
maximum adherence to instructions guiding us. The group admins who are going to
defy this order shall be treated as divisive and they will face the ugly
reality of the law without fear or favour. The deadline to comply with this
directive is effectively immediate.
“I appeal to all members in our illustrious province to
comply as expected. Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regrettable,” the
directive read.
Chiwewe in an interview also said that the decision was
taken after party leadership realised that members were haphazardly creating
WhatsApp groups to insult each other as well as settling personal vendettas.
He added that the move was just a housekeeping issue which
will enable social media to further party interests once it is properly
coordinated.
“We are not saying groups should be totally banned, but we
are saying at district level, there should be a group, as well as at cell
level, with all our executive members in that group. That also applies to
provincial level, not having several WhatsApp groups that end up promoting the
undermining of the Zanu PF constitution.
“Some of the groups are fuelling funny factionalism,
aggravating divisions while at the same time weakening the party; that is what
we want to guard against,” Chiwewe said.
The decision comes barely a week after the party embarked
on a healing exercise aimed at consoling those who lost during the party’s
primary elections, including those who are aggrieved that they lost due to
rigging machinations that marred the polls.
The party is battling to bring its house in order pending
an imminent Bhora Musango from those who felt short changed with the outcomes
of the primaries.
Some who won the polls were later disqualified for
different reasons while in some cases, cell registers were said to be in
shambles leading to the defeat of some aspiring candidates.
Factionalism in the province has seen the party divided
salong two leaders namely Provincial chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa fronting
the faction aligned to Vice president Constantino Chiwenga while former chair
now Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira
leads the other aligned to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. TellZimNews
0 comments:
Post a Comment