Source: One-centre of power dilemma for Zanu PF – DailyNews Live
Mugove Tafirenyika 13 December 2017
HARARE – Zanu PF is in dilemma as to how it could wriggle out of the
one-centre of power doctrine created nearly three years ago.
In the past, Zanu PF provinces used to vote for the party’s vice
presidents (VPs) and national chairperson before former president
Robert Mugabe secured imperial powers in 2014.
At its congress three years ago, the party inserted a clause in its
constitution to allow the 93-year-old despot to handpick his top
lieutenants.
The clause made it easy for Mugabe to get rid of former vice president
Joice Mujuru who had become too influential in Zanu PF.
Emmerson Mnangagwa – the current president – participated in the crafting
of the clause which gave his predecessor the powers he ironically used to
fire him last month.
This was before Mnangagwa dramatically bounced back into the party and
government with the help of the military, to dislodge one of Africa’s
longest serving statesmen from the seat of power.
But at its Central Committee of November 19, Zanu PF resolved to amend its
constitution to “remove any notion of one-centre of power”.
A few weeks after its supreme law-making organ sat in Harare to show a
radical departure from the old order, the party now appears split in two
minds over the idea.
Zanu PF’s secretary for information and publicity, Simon Khaya-Moyo, told
the Daily News recently that Mnangagwa will have the discretion to appoint
VPs and the national chairperson – which goes against the spirit of
discarding the one-centre of power principle.
Political analyst canvassed by the Daily News said it was highly unlikely
that Mnangagwa would be comfortable with a radical departure from the old
order.
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Eldred Masunungure,
said what happened leading to Mugabe’s resignation was a leadership change
as opposed to a regime change.
“Such change does not necessarily mean a change in the rules of the game,
so it will be difficult to do away of the one centre of power and allow
Mnangagwa’s deputies to be democratically elected,” said Masunungure.
“What we will witness is a continuation of Mugabeism and the motivation
for that is the need for control over the appointees so that they are
totally answerable to him. He will realise that democracy does not always
bring about intended outcomes and his preferences could lose a democratic
process so it is prudent to minimise the risk,” he added.
United Kingdom based constitutional law expert, Alex Magaisa, said the
only way Zanu PF can discard the one centre of power principle was through
changing the ruling party constitution.
“Why should the party impose someone that a leader can’t work with? It
becomes dysfunctional. A leader should be able to choose his team,” said
Magaisa.
“Democracy should always be tempered with mechanisms that ensure sound and
efficient administration. If it’s the ruling party, his cabinet should as
far as possible reflect the party scenario,” he said.
Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme weighed in suggesting that Mnangagwa
would most likely be “politically expedient”. Saungweme said Mnangagwa
would want to reward his close acolytes who did the donkey work in his
rise to power by appointing them to influential positions.
“He may pay lip-service to doing away with one centre of power just the
way he adopted liberal economics but left issues such as human rights
abuses untouched,” Saungweme said.
“He knows who landed him victory – the military. So he would be more
comfortable with appointing VPs, of which one of them if not both will be
the generals. He can’t ignore them after all they did for him”.
Saungweme predicted that Mnangagwa would ignore calls for a woman vice
president being advanced by Grace when she was the women’s league boss.
The quota system was supposed to be adopted at the extra ordinary
congress, which would have seen Grace replace Mnangagwa after Zanu PF
provinces had already endorsed her.
“The women’s resolution is important, but you would see that he did ignore
women in ministerial appointments.
“So it will not be surprising when he ignores their resolution this time
around. His cabal may come up with a justification for one centre of power
around the need to consolidate the party in the face of rift with G40 and
impending elections.
“So the congress might just be used to give his position as Zanu PF
secretary legitimacy by endorsing him at the congress”.
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