Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa has fallen foul of Politburo resolutions he is supposed to be a custodian of after presiding over a Manicaland Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting that defied the Politburo directive to stop campaigning before regulations for the party’s elective congress are tabled.
President Mugabe last week condemned high levels of indiscipline characterising the party and warned leaders sowing seeds of division and engaging in premature campaigning for positions ahead of the congress set for December to desist from doing so.
However, Cde Mutasa who, as secretary for administration is the custodian of the resolutions of the Politburo which he should ensure are implemented, was at the meeting and accepted nomination as national chairman in a line-up that has President Mugabe as President and First Secretary of the Party, Dr Joice Mujuru as Vice President and Second Secretary, and Cde Simon Khaya Moyo as Second Vice President.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo last week told the media after the Politburo meeting that stern measures would be taken against anyone who defied the President’s directive.
Some of the resolutions tabled at the PCC meeting on Saturday were the endorsement of Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru and Cde Simon Khaya Moyo as Vice Presidents of Zanu-PF with Cde Didymus Mutasa taking over as national chairperson.
But PCC members who attended the meeting dismissed the resolutions as a farce saying they had not come from the PCC nor the party districts as those behind them wanted people to believe.
“The question is why was Cde Mutasa who is the party’s secretary for administration playing a role at a meeting that defied the Politburo decision by coming up with resolutions that fly in the face of a recent Politburo decision?
“As one of the Politburo members who was at the meeting who also attended the Politburo meeting last week, he (Cde Mutasa) should have stopped the PCC from ever considering coming up with such a resolution,” said a Manicaland Woman’s League member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
A PCC member who attended the meeting in Manicaland on Saturday said the alleged PCC resolutions had not come from the meeting.
“What was clear was that the so-called resolutions appeared to have been cooked and drafted in the middle of the night by a few people somewhere and brought to the PCC for rubber-stamping.
“The resolutions were brought to the PCC already typed on the pretext that they were a synthesis of what had come from the districts. But in all fairness those resolutions were too complicated to say they came from the districts.
“Some of the resolutions were shocking. For instance, one of the resolutions was that there was need to have a clear succession policy and resist imposition of leaders.
“And to imagine this was presented as a synthesised resolution of the districts is unheard of. These resolutions were just done somewhere and brought to the PCC for rubber-stamping,” said the source.
Another PCC member said the meeting had been characterised by intimidation as some officials did not want anyone to say anything else that was not in the already typed resolutions.
Other resolutions were that President Mugabe continues as the First Secretary and President of Zanu-PF and to endorse the recommendation of the Women’s and Youth Leagues that First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe leads the Women’s League.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Cde Mutasa was on the offensive the moment he knew the call was from The Herald even before he was told the purpose of the call.
“Please please regai kundinetsa. (Stop harassing me). Ndakakuti taurai naCde Gumbo ndivo spokesperson veparty (I told you to speak to Cde Gumbo, he is the spokesperson of the party). I am only secretary for administration,” he said.
When told the call was to do with the PCC meeting that he attended, Cde Mutasa shouted: “Haa iwe rega kundiitisa nharo. (You stop arguing with me). Unoda kunditaurisa zvaunoda iwewe?” (You want me to say what you want?), he said before hanging up the phone.
Cde Gumbo said they were not aware of the resolutions of the Manicaland PCC.
“We haven’t started what happened in Manicaland. We will study and establish the facts then will come up with an answer,” he said. Efforts to get comment from national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu were fruitless. Herald
COMMENTS
“The resolutions were brought to the PCC already typed on the pretext that they were a synthesis of what had come from the districts. But in all fairness those resolutions were too complicated to say they came from the districts”
so the districts are so dull and suppressed that they cannot come up with a resolution on succession?
Dr DisGrace is and has been on the campaign trail accompanied by Oppah. We don’t hear any noise about her defying the party.
This so called old zapu members were bribed and brain washed by mugabe , on a genuine unity accord you should alternate the presidential candidates between the parties(zapu and zanu pf).
For your information that is done in Tanzania/Zanzibar by their ruling party.
The zapu members are just yes man of zanu pf. Vukani lilele.