Source: Zanu PF wars get even hotter – DailyNews Live
Mugove Tafirenyika 3 April 2017
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s warring ruling Zanu PF will hold two
crucial meetings this week, which could determine the fate of some top
party officials – as the former liberation movement’s mindless
bloodletting continues unabated.
This comes as State media reports suggested at the weekend that among the
party heavyweights who are under the cosh are the party’s national
political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere (pictured) – who bizarrely stands
accused of plotting to topple Mugabe from power, and also disrespecting
the nonagenarian’s powerful wife, Grace.
Zanu PF insiders who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said the party’s
ugly tribal, factional and successions wars had intensified since Grace
jettisoned women’s league top guns Sarah Mahoka and Eunice Sandi Moyo last
week – following demonstrations against the duo.
The well-placed sources added that it was also expected that there would
be more purges of senior party officials, with a number of mega demos also
set to be held soon against targeted bigwigs – including outspoken
Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene.
This has given this week’s politburo and central committee gatherings on
Wednesday and Thursday respectively even more importance, as all the
seemingly intractable problems devouring the party will be ventilated
rigorously.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo readily admitted in a
statement at the weekend that the two indabas would discuss all “critical
party issues”.
The consistently reliable sources within the burning former liberation
movement who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said the surprise move by
Grace to ditch two of her former top allies, Sandi Moyo and Mahoka – whose
political futures now lie in the hands of this week’s politburo meeting –
was likely to mark the beginning of fresh purges of senior party
officials.
“It is ominous that Kasukuwere finds himself facing a vote of no
confidence in his home province. In the women’s league top 50 meeting last
week, his name featured heavily in discussions and that is not good news
for him,” one of the sources said.
Yesterday, State media reported that Kasukuwere and his brother, Dickson
Mafios – who is also the acting provincial chairperson for Mashonaland
Central – were facing votes of no confidence.
“The provincial leadership has already rejected Kasukuwere and Mafios.
What remains now is due process,” central committee member and Mashonaland
Central Provincial Affairs minister, Martin Dinha was quoted saying by the
Sunday Mail.
Efforts by the Daily News to get Kasukuwere’s comment yesterday were
unsuccessful as his mobile phone was not reachable.
However, Mafios professed ignorance about today’s planned demonstration in
Bindura, where the provincial leadership is expected to announce the
mooted votes of no confidence against the two brothers.
“I am not aware of any such event because I am at my farm as I am speaking
to you,” he said.
But the insiders who the Daily News spoke to insisted that more purges of
senior party officials were imminent, with the likes of Chimene and
minister of State in Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s office, Tabetha
Kanengoni-Malinga – who did not attend last week’s women’s league meetings
– among those said to be under severe pressure.
“After dealing with Kasukuwere the plan is to shift attention to Mandi and
Smelly Dube (a Gweru businesswoman) and annihilate the G40 once and for
all,” a provincial official from Mashonaland East, who is linked to Team
Lacoste, told the Daily News.
However, Chimene recently told the newspaper that she was not losing sleep
over the allegations that she is facing – claiming further that the mooted
march against her was being orchestrated by her rivals and not Grace, who
leads the women’s league.
“Assassinating me will be a better deal than carrying out demonstrations
against me. Demonstrations are not a problem to me. The best thing (for
her Zanu PF enemies to do to her) is to eliminate me,” Chimene said.
“I can’t stop them. Ngavaite zvavanoda (let them do what they want).
Ndeyekwavo iyo ( it’s their problem). Vakatondiita izvozvo vanenge
vachitondipa mbiri (if they demonstrate against me they will be elevating
me).
“They definitely won’t be damaging me. Kutondiwedzera masimba (they would
be making me stronger). In fact, I will be part of those that will be
dancing during the demonstrations,” the forthright Chimene thundered then
A defiant Dube also told the Daily News yesterday that her “enemies”
would also not succeed in coming in-between her and Grace.
“I am not worried about that because I do not hold any position in the
women’s league. I am just an ordinary businesswoman who happens to support
Zanu PF, President Mugabe and the first lady. No amount of smear-campaigns
against me will dampen my spirit,” Dube, who is currently on a business
trip to Japan, said.
Another party source also said the politburo meeting would consider the
recommendations of the women’s league meeting to have Sandi Moyo and
Mahoka fired.
Sandi Moyo and the vocal Mahoka were last Monday expelled from the key
organ following nationwide demonstrations against the two by irate party
members.
Analysts have warned that the expulsions of Sandi Moyo and Mahoka were
likely to further fuel the party’s deadly succession brawls, which had
escalated in the last few weeks, especially after Mugabe’s 93rd birthday
interview with the ZBC, in which he appeared to slam the door shut on
ambitious party bigwigs angling to succeed him.
Observers have also previously said Mugabe’s failure to resolve Zanu PF’s
succession riddle is fuelling the party’s deadly infighting, which is
devouring the former liberation movement.
The 93-year-old has studiously refused to name a successor, insisting that
the party’s congress has that mandate: to choose a person of their own
choice.
COMMENTS