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President Mnangagwa

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
President Mnangagwa, who is also First Secretary of Zanu-PF, is expected to name a nine-member elections directorate to spearhead Zanu-PF restructuring as part of strengthening internal democracy within the party.

The process is expected to lead to the establishment of new cell, branch, district and provincial structures before the party’s primary elections. This is expected to solve internal conflicts, contradictions and confusion brought about by the G40 cabal, which divided the party structures.

Addressing a Mashonaland West Provincial Inter-district Conference last week, Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Munyaradzi Machacha said the party expected to complete restructuring of district and provincial committees countrywide by end of March.

“We expect that by end of March we would have finished elections for district and provincial executives. Others were saying that restructuring will divide us as a party, but as we stand, we have structures and a party that were poisoned by the G40 cabal.

“We have scars, some of which will be difficult to cure . . . The only solution is to resubmit ourselves to the people so that they give us new leadership.” Even if the party reconstitutes its structures, Cde Machacha said, this would not bring closure to the challenges facing the party.

Cde Machacha

He said the party’s constitution empowers the First Secretary or President, to come up with an independent committee to oversee the elections to avoid instances of fraud, favouritism and corruption.

“The party constitution empowers the President to select a committee of nine people, which will be our elections directorate. We no longer want the process of choosing leaders to be led by the Political Commissar or Chairman. We want an independent commission that has people who do not harbour ambition for positions, but people who just want to see a strong party.” Cde Machacha said regulations governing the conduct of primary elections will be released soon. He, however, implored party cadres to stop canvassing.

Those who defy the directive, he said, will be disqualified and hauled before a disciplinary committee. Cde Machacha, who is also the principal of the Chitepo Ideological College, said there will be no elections for district coordinating committees (DCCs) until the process of amending the constitution is complete. The restructuring, he said, should consider resolutions of the Extraordinary Congress to reserve key positions for war veterans who remain a strong pillar of the party.

Directions on how to accommodate the war veterans in the structures will be released soon so that it is done in an orderly manner. Provincial party chairman Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi said Zanu-PF Mashonaland West is currently confronted by a challenge of people who value positions more than the well-being of the party.

“People are not fighting for Zanu-PF, but positions. We want people to know that the party is supreme and bigger than any individual or sectoral interest,” he said.