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ZANU-PF posted resounding victory in the 2013 harmonised elections because it campaigned and contested the elections as Team Zanu-PF with one objective, putting the ball into the net hence the slogan Bhora mugedhi/ibhola egedini. Valuable lessons had been learnt in the 2008 fiasco where Zanu-PF was divided and went on to split the vote and only retained power because of the constitutional clause requiring the winner of the presidential contest to score 50 percent plus 1 of the votes cast.

Even more shocking were revelations that Zanu-PF was aware of the architects of the bhora musango campaign who had cut a deal with MDC-T and told their supporters to vote Tsvangirai for president.

After that near miss, nothing happened to them only to get their comeuppance, five years later, when they became bold enough to set up virtual parallel Government structures.

We are talking here of the putschist cabal led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru that was expelled from Zanu-PF after angling to topple President Mugabe despite the resounding, five-year mandate he was given by the people in 2013.

Some, it appears, are at it again.

Giddy from seeing a comatose opposition and riding the wave of the over two thirds majority scored in the 2013 harmonised elections; it appears some party leaders have forgotten that voters turned out en masse because Zanu-PF presented a compelling manifesto that it pledged to deliver on over the five-year period 2013 to 2018.

Such party officials have taken the route of attacking others in the media, picking unnecessary fights. The current situation points to an economy crying for undivided attention rather than misdirected energies.

And this, coming on the back of a directive by the party’s First Secretary and President, President Mugabe, that officials must desist from discussing party issues in, or attacking each other in the media.

Despite this clear instruction, some officials are unrelenting, providing reactionary media with sensational headlines that only serve to feed into the perception that Zanu-PF is doing precious little on the economy but expends energy on infighting. Though this perception is not entirely true given the mega deals signed between Government and China and Russia, some party officials are needlessly fanning it regardless.

To this end we hail President Mugabe’s warning to errant party officials that they either toe the party line or face the boot as their divisive activities run contrary to the spirit of unity needed for economic turnaround.

As we report elsewhere in this issue agents of regime change daily pray that the economic hardships persist in the hope that they can achieve their nefarious, inimical agenda. Leadership, the President said, is elected or deposed at Congress, which is the party’s ultimate decision-making organ.

We hope all progressive party officials will heed the President’s call, close ranks and once again work as a team in the party and Government to deliver on Zim-Asset.
Voters expect no less.