President speaks on DCC elections

Source: President speaks on DCC elections | The Herald

President Mnangagwa addressing members of the Politburo at the party headquarters. — Picture: Tawanda Mudimu

Political Editor

ZANU PF cadres who may feel aggrieved by the outcome of the recently held District Coordinating Committee (DCC) polls can seek recourse through the appropriate party channels, but must not use the media to air their grievances as this amounts to putting the name of the party into disrepute, President Mnangagwa said.

This comes as the governing party has dispatched teams to some areas around the country to gather views coming from some aggrieved persons and ordered a re-run in at least three districts.

In his address to the 347th Ordinary Session of the Politburo at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday, the President commended teams that supervised the DCC elections and the candidates who campaigned in a peaceful and disciplined manner.

“Let me reiterate that the DCC structures and the elections thereof must unite the party and act as a springboard for entrenching our party’s revolutionary ideology, constitutionalism and strong grassroots mobilisation.

“Article 3 Section 20, subsection 2 enshrines the right of members to be elected to any office of the party, subject to the rules and regulations determined by the Central Committee; while subsection 7, gives members the right to seek remedy in respect to any grievances as a result of the action of any person in authority over him”.

As such the President said that any party cadres who may have grievances with the outcome of the DCC polls has a right to seek recourse through the relevant party channels.

“However, in doing so loyalty and discipline, as expressed through understanding and adherence of the party constitution, ethics and guiding principles must always be at the core.

“I therefore want to dissuade our members from using both the mainline and social media to express their grievances. Doing so, amounts to bringing the name of the party into disrepute”.

The President updated the Politburo on the construction of the Museum of African Liberation in Harare, saying it was important that the revolutionary party actively participate in the making of history on Zimbabwean soil.

“As a revolutionary party and Government we take the honour of hosting this Museum and coordinate efforts towards achieving the Pan-African goal, integration and unity of African states through the preservation of our collective history and cultural heritage.

“I call upon veterans of the struggle for independence in our country to take an active role as key stakeholders to this project”.

Early this month, President Mnangagwa officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony of the African Museum of African Liberation, a historic building that will allow Africans to tell their own history, putting to rest one-sided euro-centric narratives which have dominated the public space for too long.

The construction of the continental museum in Harare is not in isolation as the Second Republic, under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, has taken deliberate measures to immortalise the country’s heroes and heroines through erecting statues in the country’s towns and historical places.

Meanwhile, addressing the media after the Politburo meeting, the last of this year, Zanu PF acting spokesperson Cde Patrick Chinamasa said results from almost every district have been accepted while rerun polls will be held in at least three disputed districts on December 28. Because of weather vagaries, elections that were supposed to be held on Saturday were extended, causing delays in the whole process, Cde Chinamasa said.

“Overall, we are happy that the mission was accomplished, (elections) were held in a very peaceful atmosphere” said Cde Chinamasa.

In Manicaland, results for all the eight districts, namely; Buhera, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Makoni, Mutasa, Nyanga, Zimunya-Marange and Mutare Urban were accepted.

However, in Mutare Urban the Politburo said a rerun should be held to fill in the position of chairman after an inconclusive poll.

In Mashonaland Central, results from Bindura, Mazowe, Shamva, Mt Darwin, Guruve, Muzarabani, Rushinga, Mbire districts were all accepted.

While in Mashonaland East results from all the districts, namely; Chikomba, Goromonzi, Marondera, Mudzi, Seke, Murehwa, Wedza, Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe were accepted.

In Mashonaland West, results from Chegutu, Hurungwe, Kadoma, Sanyati, Ngezi, Kariba, Zvimba, were all accepted while the results in Makonde they will be a rerun for the post of chairman.

The province of Masvingo has accepted results from all the districts namely Bikita, Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Chivi, Masvingo Urban, Gutu South, Zaka, while in Matabeleland North, results from Binga, Bubi, Nkayi, Lupane, Tsholotsho, Umguza and Hwange were all accepted amid indications that a petition could come from the district of Hwange while for Tsholotsho a rerun will be held for the post of chairman.

In Matabeleland South — results were accepted for all the districts namely, Beitbridge, Bulilima, Gwanda, Insiza, Mangwe, Matobo and Umzingwane — spending the presentation of a petition to the Command Centre in the last district.

In the Midlands province, results from Chirumhanzu, Gokwe North, Gokwe South, Gweru, Kwekwe, Mberengwa, Shurugwi, Zvishavane.

The two metropolitan provinces — Harare and Bulawayo — have already completed setting up of DCC structures in their respective provinces.