Source: Zanu PF ‘burns’ in Byo – DailyNews Live
Jeffrey Muvundusi 24 July 2017
BULAWAYO – Zanu PF’s hopes of uniting its warring officials in Bulawayo
ahead of the crucial 2018 elections could be diminishing as the provincial
leadership on Saturday painted a picture of a party gripped by lawlessness
and loss of trust among its officials.
Visiting secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo sat stoned-faced as
Bulawayo chairperson, Denis Ndlovu revealed the extent of the divisions in
his province.
“There have been some suspensions that have been going on, some have
refused to be suspended, we have lifted some suspensions we had previously
made but we are realising some of those appear to be having cases.
“Here there are some we suspended but they keep attending our meetings
some of them are even here present and that is causing a lot of confusion
and I want this cleared in your presence (Chombo),” Ndlovu told Chombo at
the party provincial headquarters, Davies Hall, on Saturday.
Tension has been high in Bulawayo ever since party officials were engaged
in an orgy of violence which left one supporter needing hospitalisation
when he was stabbed during the bloodletting incident. Zanu PF is divided
in Bulawayo along factional lines.
Politburo member Absolom Sikhosana acknowledged the deep-seated problems
in the province.
“The problem is we don’t respect what we do as a party. Here in Bulawayo
there is a lot of intra-party fighting, there are divisions. We are trying
in our small way as leadership to address the matter but we are failing to
achieve that one-mindedness. We are failing,” Sikhosana said.
“There is no discipline in the party. We are not behaving like cadres of
the party. The way we are fighting is just abnormal,” he added.
Former Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku whose suspension was
recently lifted also weighed in by blaming the provincial leadership for
the problems.
“There is a problem in Bulawayo. I believe one of the causes of the
problems is that the leadership here does not recognise us, the national
consultative assembly members. But for the sake of the party we have been
quiet,” said Masuku.
“The constitution shows how suspensions should be done… for instance in
our case when we were suspended, the constitution was clearly not followed
but because we are mature we kept quiet.
“We don’t respect the constitution which is supposed to be guiding us,”
lamented Masuku.
Chombo ordered the provincial executive to respect the party constitution.
“Non-adherence to the party constitution is a problem, so let’s have our
party constitution today and you are supposed to have constitutional
meetings every six months and wherever there is a disciplinary meeting or
suspensions the constitution should be followed,” said Chombo.
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