Source: Jostling for posts in Mujuru party – DailyNews Live
Jeffrey Muvundusi 20 March 2017
HARARE – It is dog-eat-dog in Joice Mujuru’s newly-formed National
People’s Party (NPP) as officials jostle for positions ahead of an
elective convention next month.
Mujuru – NPP’s interim leader – will be uncontested as the party’s
presidential candidate.
However, according to a list of candidates and the positions that they
will be contesting for released by NPP’s directorate after closure of the
nominations’ declaration window last Thursday, the race is tight for other
top posts.
Some of the most tightly contested posts are those of Mujuru’s two vice
presidents – available in accordance with NPP’s constitution – that are
being eyed by six candidates.
The six are Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Bongani Nyathi, Cuthbert Ncube, Linda
Dube – all from Bulawayo – and Harare’s Elliot Kasu and John Shumba
Mvundura.
NPP spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire confirmed the list, adding that
“campaigns have been very civil and…peaceful”.
“Our people are fully aware that the democratic process we are embarking
on to choose the party’s leadership is just a way of assigning people to
different posts from which they can serve the people in their best
capacities, we are not creating bigwigs or Zanu PF-styled chefs,” he said.
“We are electing servants…to deliver change to the people,” Mawarire
said.
Insiders told the Daily News that serious jockeying and campaigning is now
in full swing, with camps antagonistic to each other over candidate
preferences having emerged.
Nkomo, Ncube and Dube are apparently leading the race to fill in the
Matabeleland slot, the source claimed, while Mvundura is pushing for
Mashonaland province’s representation.
“Candidates have been campaigning underground, since it had not been
declared officially that they have been nominated, but now that it’s
official, it’s never easy on the ground.
“You cannot really say who is going to get away with the medal, because
party members are really divided. We hope these divisions are just but
temporary” the source said.
For the national chairperson post, former Zanu PF official and Energy
minister Dzikamai Mavhaire will have to sweat it out with Matabeleland
South party provincial chairperson Maduma Bekezela Fuzwayo and Wilson
Bancinyane
Nelson Mashizha, Hamadziripi Dube, Gift Nyandoro, Patronella Musarurwa and
David Butau battling it out for the secretary-general post while Ntuta
Bukhosi, Ndou Moffat and Mubaiwa Wilbert will contest for the
treasurer-general position.
“The real battle for the secretary-general post is between Nyandoro and
Butau, if events on the ground presently are anything to go by.
“They seem to be the leading horses but you never know what happens in a
day in politics,” another source said.
The NPP – recently broken away from the Zimbabwe People First (ZPP) party
– is currently run by an interim administration headed by Mujuru and is
set to hold its inaugural convention early next month to select a
substantive leadership ahead of the 2018 elections.
Under the NPP constitution, a national executive council -comprising the
president, vice presidents, party chairperson, secretary-general and
treasurer – will be the highest decision- making body.
Since her fallout with ZPF founders, Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa, last
month, and the subsequent launch of NPP, Mujuru has been on the campaign
trail and rebuilding party structures.
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