Source: Zanu PF Postpones Primary Elections Amid Fears of Return of Generation 40 Faction
WASHINGTON – Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF party has postponed its primary elections amid fears by some top officials that the former liberation movement has been infiltrated by “outlawed” Generation 40 activists, aligned to former Youth and Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
FILE: Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF supporters at a rally on Feb. 12, 2022 in Epworth about 40 minutes south east of Harare. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)
But Zanu PF spokesperson, Mike Bimha, said the party postponed the elections because it was overwhelmed by the large number of candidates, who wanted to represent it in the forthcoming general elections.
Members of the “outlawed” Generation 40, a Zanu PF faction which lost power when the late former President Robert Mugabe was toppled in a defacto military coup, claim that the ruling party postponed primary elections after realizing that most of the young people being fielded were aligned to the political outfit.
Ntokozo Msipha, spokesperson of a political outfit, Tyson Wabantu which is linked to Kasukuwere, said, “We overwhelmed the system by fielding our own candidates throughout the country and they got scared of losing power. They decided to postpone the elections after realizing the impact we have in the primaries.”
A senior Zanu PF official acknowledged that they postponed the primaries, scheduled for this weekend, “because it seems that we have been infiltrated by G40.”
The ruling party wants to field candidates in the presidential, parliamentary and council elections. Mnangagwa is the party’s presidential candidate.
Some primary election candidates, including Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, and Jodi Mordi, are unopposed in Bulawayo.
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