IT is going to be dog eat dog in the Zanu PF primary elections, after hundreds of Young Turks and other first time candidates applied to contest party bigwigs in the internal polls slated for June 24, it has emerged.
BY PATRICE MAKOVA
Hundreds of candidates rushed to beat the 5pm deadline to submit curriculum vitaes (CVs) for consideration in the primary elections yesterday.
Sources said fireworks are expected in the polls after the Zanu PF politburo ruled that no one would be spared from the process. But there are fears that the party bigwigs will use today’s provincial coordinating council meetings to try to elbow out some of their challengers.
Manicaland province which was recently rocked by serious internal fighting saw one of the highest numbers of people applying to contest the same constituencies.
Sources said in Mutare North constituency alone, 16 officials were vying to contest the primaries. These include suspended provincial chairman, Mike Madiro and prominent transport operator and central committee member, Esau Mupfumi.
The province recently saw a group allegedly led by Justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa and women’s league boss, Oppah Muchinguri petitioning President Robert Mugabe to rein in national secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, accusing him of imposition of candidates and dictatorship.
Mutasa, who used to be unchallenged as the godfather of Manicaland, will fight it out for the Headlands constituency with Ministry of Women’s Affairs director, Christopher Chingosho.
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Chinamasa on the other hand will face off with Mutasa’s right hand man and Arda chairman, Basil Nyabadza.
Manicaland provincial governor, Christopher Mushowe will face off businessman, Jonathan Kadzura in the Mutare West constituency. Sources said Muchinguri at Thursday’s politburo meeting was very vocal against some of the old guard, warning them if they imposed themselves, Zanu PF risked losing elections again.
In Masvingo, provincial chairman Lovemore Matuke will be challenged in the Gutu Central seat by Felix Munyaradzi and another only identified as Mtsambiwa.
The primary election is likely to produce fireworks as Munyaradzi belongs to a group of the Young Turks who are emerging in Masvingo.
The election will be closely watched as Matuke has also been fighting officials linked with the Mujuru faction who want to dissolve his executive.
Former Zifa boss, Henrietta Rushwaya will square off with former Women’s Affairs deputy minister, Shuvai Mahofa and a Mzangwa for the Gutu senatorial seat. The seat is reserved for women.
Zimpapers board chairman, Paul Chimedza will fight it out with lawyer Vengai Guni for the Gutu North seat.
In Midlands, Minister of State, Flora Buka will be challenged by a youth only identified as Mayor. Zanu PF parliamentary chief whip, Joram Gumbo will be challenged by a retired major. whose name The Standard could not verify last night.
Affirmative Action Group’s Chamu Chiwanza will battle it out with Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation chairman, Godwills Masimirembwa.
Phillip Chiyangwa will be challenged for the Chinhoyi seat by Mashonaland West governor Faber Chidarikire, a student leader, Prosper Ganga and Samuel Mvurume.
The respective Zanu PF provincial coordinating councils are scheduled to sit today to scrutinise the submitted CVs before handing them over to the politburo for further vetting.
But a politburo member said there were fears that the PCCs will manipulate the lists to save some bigwigs whose careers now hang by the thread.
“Some old guards who fear losing elections are saying candidates must be selected through consensus in certain constituencies in order to avoid primary elections. This will be against the politburo directive barring any imposition of candidates,” he said.
The senior Zanu PF official said the idea of holding primaries in one day was to try to avoid the imposition of candidates.
He said politburo members who usually supervise such events normally favour each other, but this time around they would not get that opportunity, as most of them are being challenged.
“Everyone will be busy trying to survive politically and there will be no time to interfere with elections elsewhere,” said the politburo member.
Another senior party official said officials from the Central Intelligence Organisations and others party officials not seeking office will be supervising the primary elections.
Zanu PF spokesperson yesterday said he was attending a meeting the whole day.
