Zanu PF wars: Aluta Continua

via Zanu PF wars: Aluta Continua – DailyNews Live Blessings Mashaya and Tendai Kamhungira • 10 April 2016

HARARE – Hopes that President Robert Mugabe’s meeting with restless war veterans in Harare last Thursday would stem Zanu PF’s ugly factional and succession wars already lie in tatters, as it emerged yesterday that brawling party bigwigs are ratcheting up their deadly assaults on one another.

Sources close to the ruling party’s two main warring factions — Team Lacoste that is rallying behind embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mooted presidential aspirations, and the Generation 40 (G40) group that is rabidly opposed to the Midlands godfather succeeding President Robert Mugabe — told the Daily News on Sunday that the nonagenarian’s meeting with war veterans had changed “nothing”.

“Although the president’s meeting with war vets promised so much, in the end it delivered nothing as those who were killing each other for power are still at it, probably with more venom now after that (Mugabe’s) intervention failed,” a senior party official who claims to be “non-aligned” said.

Asked to say why the meeting had not delivered the much hoped-for results, the bigwig said it was “always unrealistic” to expect that the get-together would stem the party’s mindless bloodletting of the past 15 years which has seen dozens of its leading lights purged from the former liberation movement.

“My sense is that many people, including a few naive ones inside the party, under-estimate the levels of disaffection and animosity within the party. The sad reality is that G40 and Team Lacoste members don’t just dislike each other, they hate each other now and can hardly tolerate each other even in formal meetings,” the central committee member said.

Indeed, the restless war veterans who are rallying behind Mnangagwa openly attacked alleged G40 kingpins at their meeting with Mugabe, including the party’s national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.

They also called for a stop to the relentless purges in Zanu PF which they say are targeted at officials perceived to belong to Team Lacoste, and that they further claim are not mediated impartially by the party’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) which is said to be packed by G40-leaning office bearers.

On Friday, a diplomatic spokesperson of the Mnangagwa-aligned Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) faction, Douglas Mahiya, told the Daily News on Sunday that while their meeting with Mugabe had achieved some successes, there were “certain issues that need follow-up with the president”.

“The meeting met our expectations, but was not exhaustive on a number of issues,” he said — adding that among other issues war veterans needed to be paid $18 000 each, which was allegedly outstanding from 1997.

However, he openly criticised Zanu PF national deputy youth secretary Kudzai Chipanga over what he termed his ongoing failure to respect elders.

“The disrespect that is being exhibited by the likes of Chipanga is against the Zanu PF party ideology,” he warned ominously.

While addressing a rally that was held at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera recently, Chipanga, who is said to be a G40 kingpin, rudely asked former War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa to “shut up”.

Another party official seen as close to Team Lacoste said the meeting had been a “total failure” as more members loyal to Mnangagwa were allegedly still set to be booted out of the brawling former liberation movement.

“It’s aluta continua (Portuguese for the struggle continues) because the G40 are still as determined as they were to decimate Ngwena (Mnangagwa) and anyone seen as loyal to him,” the official lamented.

At the same time, it was claimed yesterday that Team Lacoste bigwigs were using food aid as factional politics bait in hunger-stricken Masvingo, in the camp’s desperate bid out-manoeuvre the G40.

MPs aligned to the G40 who spoke to the Daily News on Sunday blamed Masvingo Provincial minister Shuvai Mahofa, an alleged staunch follower of Mnangagwa, of being among those selectively distributing the food.

“I am fighting hard to reverse the food distribution process, which is being done on factional lines,” Chiredzi West legislator Darlington Chiwa said.

Callisto Gwanetsa and Denford Masiya, who are Chiredzi South and East MPs respectively, also confirmed that they had experienced the same problem.

“We know there is such an issue but it is now in the hands of the relevant authorities,” Zanu PF Provincial commissar Jappy Jaboon told the Daily News on Sunday.

A visibly-tired Mugabe also once again openly admitted on Friday that Zanu PF’s seemingly unstoppable factional and succession wars were continuing to destroy the party, appealing for unity among his brawling lieutenants.

“Look where we are now compared to what we used to be, especially during the time of the struggle? . . . we need to work and revamp the party.

“There are factions that are accusing each other, using the opposition papers to say bad things about one another . . . we need to stop this. Where are we going? I appeal to you to unite for the good of the party,” the exasperated nonagenarian said.

“The trust has been lost among party members. Everyone must do a self-introspection . . . youths should be united, focused. The leadership of the party should provide that element of unity, provide that historical understanding that enables us to go forward as a party,” he added.