THE two warring Zanu PF factions will today and tomorrow face off in what promise to be stormy Zanu PF politburo and central committee meetings
Source: Zanu PF factions square off – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 13, 2016
By Everson Mushava/Xolisani Ncube/Obey Manayiti
Party political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday confirmed today’s politburo meeting, but refused to disclose the agenda, although insiders said outstanding disciplinary cases, as well the raging Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) scandal, would provide the turf for the faction members to outdo each other.
Top on the agenda of the conference, insiders said, would be resolutions by Mashonaland Central province to force a further amendment to the party’s constitution so that President Robert Mugabe’s deputies be voted for instead of being appointed.
The resolution – now commonly referred to as the “Mafioso resolution” after it was announced by Mashonaland provincial chairperson, Dickson Mafios – has split the party, with Team Lacoste loyalists, including war veterans, claiming the declaration targeted Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Youths have joined the G40, a faction opposed to Mnangagwa’s bid to succeed Mugabe, in aggressively pushing for the adoption of the resolution.
Kasukuwere confirmed the resolution would be tabled.
“A resolution comes in various forms from various structures of our party and we look at all the resolutions across and discuss them firstly as the politburo, then the central committee and the conference,” he said.
“Resolutions are one of the ways we discuss issues that would have been raised by party members and it doesn’t follow, therefore, that the resolution raised should be adopted or rejected. We discuss and debate on the merits or lack of merit of any resolution.
“Resolutions are part of how the party works and this is how the party discusses issues internally, otherwise people will be going to the Press and discuss issues, which will be contrary to the policy of the party; this is how the party works.”
Sources said the women’s league’s call for one of the Vice-Presidents’ posts to be reserved for women in a quota system, will also be on the politburo and central committee agendas.
The resolution is also seen as a move to topple Mnangagwa to replace him with First Lady Grace Mugabe.
“After the resolutions committee, which is chaired by the secretary for legal affairs, (Patrick) Chinamasa, consolidated all the resolutions of the conference, their report will be tabled in the politburo to form an agenda, as well as help the selection of people who will chair various thematic committees at the conference,” an insider said.
Insiders said the politburo meeting will also discuss the central committee report, which will be tabled on Thursday.
“Critically, the pending disciplinary cases of the three suspended provincial chairpersons Biggie Matiza (Mashonaland East), Kizito Chivamba (Midlands) and Ezra Chadzamira (Masvingo) are on the agenda after the party’s disciplinary committee chaired by Chinamasa completed its investigations and will table its findings for adoption by the politburo,” a senior party official, who declined to be named, said.
“Also, the Jacob Mudenda Zimdef report will be tabled for adoption. As you may be aware, some of the recommendations made in there have already been implemented. The committee will table it in total for adoption and see how such cases could be handled.
“The politburo will also hear reports on the restructuring exercises from the commissariat department.”
On conference preparations, Kasukuwere said: “So far so good, we are completing the registration of our participants, 7 000 of them.
“That is being done here so that we avoid pressure at the site, where people will be saying I also want to attend. We are doing that here and all those who are going to attend in Masvingo are just delegates.”
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