Wheels on the campaign season for the 2023 harmonised elections have been set in motion following the proclamation of the election date as August 23 by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on May 31.
While the ruling party is still reeling from chaotic
primary polls held on March 25 this year, which saw heavyweights biting the
dust, factional battles seem to be far from over as some who lost in the
internal polls are threatening a ‘bhora musango’ situation if their grievances
are not resolved, which may be too late.
On the other hand, the party recently took measures to
contain the factional fights, as allegations of a Zanu PF elections monitoring
wing Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ) heavily monitoring electoral
processes within and outside the ruling party have taken the political scene by
storm.
There is apparent factional battles in Zanu PF, which has
seen Masvingo provincial leadership launching a healing process first, after
which they banned various WhatsApp groups accused of fanning factionalism, and
recently the Youth League launching a scathing attack on truant members who are
against FAZ interference.
Zanu PF Youth League Masvingo Province on May, 31, 2023, in
a press conference held at Masvingo Sports club sent a chilling warning to
party members alleged to be causing factionalism in the party.
Speaking at the press conference, Masvingo Province youth
league Chairperson Delight Tichaona Mandebvu said the league wished to warn
party members and youth as well who are still hanging onto primary election differences
because it is affecting the progress of the coming harmonized elections.
“The youth league has noted with great concern that party
members, youth included are still hanging to the primary elections differences
and this is affecting the party mobilization and campaigning ahead of the
forthcoming 2023 harmonized elections,” said Mandebvu.
Mandebvu also said these members are defying the politburo
and as Youth League they were calling upon the party to activate disciplinary
measures against said members.
“We would also like to warn these members that they are
defying the politburo and the president’s position and it is an act of
misconduct. We call upon the party to activate disciplinary measures against
these members.
“We also caution these members that the youth is watching
and will not fold hands as there is no room for bhora musango in Zanu PF;
primary elections are a normal and internal process which we believe party
members should not be divided from,” said Mandebvu.
The youth league chairperson said that they are calling
upon the losing candidates to come and join campaign teams.
“We call upon all the losing candidates to come and join
the campaign teams and those who do not want should just form their own party
because the youth is the vanguard and future of the party,” said Mandebvu.
Masvingo Provincial youth league secretary for
administration Wellington Chakona added that the league is not exposing anyone
as they are only giving a warning and failure to adhere to it will lead to them
exposing these disgruntled members.
“We are not mentioning these candidates with names because
today we are just here to warn them and we will expose them if they fail to
take this warning seriously,” said Chakona.
Masvingo Provincial youth league political commissar Israel
Lunga said that after the primary election party members were not supposed to
hate each other but come together and support the qualified candidate.
“The losing candidates are acting with hatred towards the
winning candidate and they are still operating in their campaigning WhatsApp
groups where their supporters are sympathizing with them yet fueling
factionalism and by doing so they are defying the order from security
department that has banned all WhatsApp groups,” said Lunga.
Even after the ruling party Zanu PF has banned WhatsApp
groups which they said were fueling factionalism within the party, it seems as
if there were still party squabbles between the qualified and disqualified
candidates after the primary elections.
In May the ruling party Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial
Coordinating Committee (PCC) embarked on a healing process in the province as
members were mooting a ‘bhora musango’, a situation that needed urgent action
to try and unite party supporters who were torn apart by the chaotic primary
elections.
The exercise was set at district level, and sought to make
sure that all party supporters rally behind Mnangagwa and the party despite
losing or winning of their preferred candidates during the primary elections.
The ruling party Zanu PF was once again in panic mode as
another ‘Bhora Musango’ was looming due to primary elections reruns in some
provinces, and the Provincial Chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa called for
immediate action to unite people who were threatening a Bhora Musango.
Winners were warned against celebrating their victory as it
was said to be hurting others whom they needed to win the next election, with
resources intended for those celebrations to be directed towards campaigns. TellZimNews
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