Zanu PF plans to set up a special committee to undo the damage caused by a bruising fight between rival factions in the battle to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
The ruling party’s spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo said a number of aggrieved Zanu PF members had responded to calls to appeal to the central committee for a review of their suspensions or expulsions.
“I am not sure about numbers, but I have been told that quite a number of appeals have come in,” he said on Friday.
“Our party constitution provides that anybody who feels aggrieved by the way the national disciplinary committee would have handled their issue can appeal to the central committee.”
Khaya-Moyo said the central committee was looking at ways of handling the cases.
“I cannot say for certain what is going to happen but it would be impossible for the whole central committee to sit and make determinations on the matter,” he said.
“We are working on modalities to deal with this situation but still, all appeals are going through the secretary for administration [Ignatius Chombo] who will appraise the politburo for onward transmission to the central committee.”
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Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the last politburo meeting appealed to Zanu PF to “stick to the constitution” while veterans of the liberation struggle who met Mugabe recently had no kind words for the national disciplinary committee.
The war veterans accused the politburo of “usurping the powers of the central committee” and the national disciplinary committee of “unmitigated bias against people perceived to be anti-G40”.
Zanu PF has been in turmoil since 2014 when First Lady Grace Mugabe joined mainstream politics as the party’s youth and women’s leagues prepared for their conference.
Grace fronted a concerted assault on one of two factions in the ruling party, then led by former vice-president Joice Mujuru, accusing her of a sinister plot to depose Mugabe by foul means.
In the ensuing melee, Mujuru was kicked out, along with hundreds of other leaders, including liberation war stalwarts, Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo. But as Mujuru’s faction wilted under pressure, another faction in the form of G40 emerged and anointed Grace its leader.
Since then, there has been a consistent campaign to rid the party of one faction or another as the fight for control continues unabated, while expulsions and suspensions as well as no-confidence votes have plagued the party.
With Zanu PF split between two factions, Mnangagwa — who reportedly leads a rival faction — has seen his charges targeted by Grace.
Women’s league secretary for administration Esphinah Nhari, who was suspended for chanting “down with G40”, was the first to lodge her appeal.
“I was the first one to appeal. My case is very simple. I was accused of saying ‘down with G40’, but that is the same as saying down with MDC or [down with the enemy]. I stand by my word because I see nothing wrong,” Nhari said.
Former Harare provincial youth league chair, Godwin Gomwe said he and his colleagues fired from the party for allegedly undermining Mugabe and his wife were “expelled by G40 over flimsy accusations that we insulted the First Lady”.
“We were not expelled by the party, but by G40 so we will appeal. I understand some of my colleagues have already appealed,” Gomwe said.
“We were accused of insulting [Vice-President Phelekezela] Mphoko, the First Lady and [political commissar Saviour] Kasukuwere.
“There have not been reports that we insulted Chombo or the president. Why is it that we have only been accused of insulting members of the national disciplinary committee?”
Gomwe was expelled along with his counterparts Godfrey Tsenengamu, Edmore Samambwa and Vengai Musengi, among others after they issued a damning statement calling on Mugabe to rein in his wife, accusing her of destroying the party.
Tsenengamu said his expulsion remains “a nullity”.
War Veterans chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa — suspended by the politburo along with his wife Monica — said he welcomed the call from the central committee.
“We want a working party that accommodates people like we did during the war,” he said.
“We would not have brought independence if we acted this way against people with a differing opinion.
“The president has called for proper handling of internal contradictions because they are essential to internal democracy.”
