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Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF has cleared the furore over the reinstatement of its Masvingo and Midlands provincial chairman and vice chair Cdes Ezra Chadzamira and Kizito Chivamba saying the move was above board as they were done within the confines of the party’s constitution.

The party’s deputy secretary for legal affairs Cde Paul Mangwana said the party’s constitution provided for co-option of leaders by any party organ to fill vacant posts that might have arisen in that particular organ.

Cdes Chadzamira and Chivamba were suspended last year for insubordination, but were later cleared of any wrong doing and were readmitted in the party as ordinary members.

Their provinces then co-opted them again into provincial structures.

The then acting Masvingo provincial chairman Cde Amasa Nhenjana announced the reinstatement of Cde Chadzamira during a provincial coordinating committee meeting held in Masvingo recently, but later backtracked saying he was still in charge of the province.

He went further to accuse senior party members from Masvingo Cdes Josaya Hungwe and Shuvai Mahofa of masterminding his demotion for factional ends.

In an interview yesterday Cde Mangwana said: “Any organ of the party has the right to co-opt any member to fill a vacant position in its structures,” he said

“(Cde) Chadzamira is a member of the party and he can be co-opted to any position. When he was cleared, the province had a choice to elect a new chairman, but it chose to co-opt him to his former position. The party constitution provides for that.”

Cde Mangwana said he also attended the provincial coordinating meeting where Cde Nhenjana announced the reinstatement of Cde Chadzamira and was surprised that he was now shifting goal posts.

Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial secretary for administration Cde Cde Ailess Baloyi said Cde Chadzamira was now the substantive provincial chairman until the next election.

He said the provincial executive met and agreed to reinstate Cde Chadzamira to his former position.

Asked on how they reinstated Cde Chadzamira considering that there was a letter by Cde Ignatius Chombo (national secretary for administration) confirming that Cde Chadzamira was readmitted as an ordinary member, Cde Baloyi said: “Yes he was admitted as an ordinary member but Cde Nhenjana was acting. After Cde Chadzamira was cleared, we felt it was good that he be reinstated to his substantive position. We did a co-option as the provincial executive which is constitutional.

“We then reported that to the provincial coordinating committee and he (Cde Chadzamira) is now our substantive chairman until the next election.”

In the case of Cde Chivamba, he was reinstated as deputy chair over the weekend.

Cde Daniel Mackenzie Ncube, who was the deputy chair was elevated to the chairmanship post taking over from Cde Jorum Gumbo was the acting chair since last year.