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The team also comprises national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu and Cde Kembo Mohadi, who is reportedly standing in for Cde Sydney Sekeramayi.
Secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa is also part of the team, though he was said to be at the centre of the probe.

Secretary for information and publicity Cde Rugare Gumbo confirmed the development in an interview with The Herald yesterday.
He defended and explained the inclusion of Cde Mutasa, who some party officials in the province are accusing of causing factionalism.

“It is true that a team was dispatched to Manicaland to carry out the investigations. It is on the ground right now doing what it was tasked to do by the Politburo.
“These are open investigations. Those who say things against him (Cde Mutasa) must be able to do so in his presence. We have resolved to do things in a democratic way and the truth has to be said.”

Cde Gumbo said the speed with which the party launched a probe into the events in Manicaland was clear testimony that it wanted the speedy resolution of the challenges.
He said the team’s prompt visit was not necessitated by a petition to President Mugabe by a delegation from Manicaland which visited the Zanu-PF First Secretary and President recently.

“Even if the petition had not been written, we were still going to send a team to Manicaland,” Cde Gumbo said.
It appears the party is not going to tolerate factionalism reminiscent of the situation that led to the dissolution of District Co-ordinating Committees in June last year. DCCs were dissolved after Zanu-PF realised that they were sowing division in the party.

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Powerful Zanu-PF members were allegedly manipulating DCCs, causing unnecessary divisions and tension.
Manicaland was once again a problem child when the DCCs were dissolved, alongside Masvingo Province and Bulawayo.

On Thursday, the Politburo restructured Bulawayo Province, appointing Cde Callistus Ndlovu as the new provincial chairman, taking over from Cde Killian Sibanda. Cde Sibanda now deputises Cde Ndlovu.

This followed personality challenges in Bulawayo with some officials “not happy about certain people”.
While admitting that there were some challenges in the party, Cde Gumbo on Thursday said some challenges were normal in an institution as big as Zanu-PF.
“In any phenomenon there are contradictions. We have, as a party, non antagonistic contradictions, but they are not that serious. We are as strong as ever,” Cde Gumbo told journalists on Thursday.

The party also postponed setting up rules and regulations to govern the conduct of primary elections to a later date.