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THE Zanu-PF Extraordinary Congress coming in December must help restore the party back to its revolutionary ethos, which includes being a party of the people. That the ruling party was increasingly being alienated from its supporters by the G40 cabal was now evident for everyone who cared to see.

In fact, many Zanu-PF supporters were not in agreement anymore with the turn the party was taking, which pointed to its eventual demise.

A mass political party like Zanu-PF cannot survive when it is detached from the people, especially when it preoccupies itself with the opposite of what people expect.

It had become too obvious, even to the party grassroots, that the G40 cabal was dividing the party. What made the situation worse was that some of the positions expected to correct the anomaly were occupied by members of the G40 faction.

That such people like former Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere and former Secretary for Administration Ignatius Chombo were poised to ruin the party did not need a rocket scientist to determine.

Zanu-PF supporters were now living in fear, especially in the wake of unilateral expulsions that were being effected by Kasukuwere, working together with Chombo.

The situation in the party was untenable.

Party programmes could not be executed as expected because supporters were concerned more with watching their backs, in case they faced unceremonious expulsions.

The culture of expelling those thought to be anti-G40 had become the norm. But the Extraordinary Congress should help Zanu-PF have a re-look at itself.

A weaker Zanu-PF obviously affects the Government and, especially the economy, since policies that guide the two come from the ruling party.

But there was now discord everywhere — in the party, in Government and in the economy — because of the shenanigans of the G40 cabal.

The aggressive nature with which the faction was trying to market itself had permeated all facets of society, including affecting the work by civil servants.

Most developmental projects were now at a standstill, as no one was sure how to proceed.

Those who pushed projects that were not favourable to G40 risked being labelled enemies, and this practice made many civil servants shy away from their job.

The uppermost task of the Extraordinary Congress should be to completely do away with the mentality that had been created by the G40 cabal, which made it impossible for people to work for the party.

We applaud the new Zanu-PF First Secretary and President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, for pledging that things will now be done in a refreshing way.

In fact, we have started to see positives out of his ascendance to the helm of the party.

We note that the party has since announced that it is slashing the Congress budget from $8 million that had been proposed by the G40 cabal.

The number of days for the congress will be slashed from six to only three, while the number of delegates will also be drastically brought down to 6 000.

All these point to a new culture that we all expect to emerge from the ruling party, as the new leader rallies everyone to put their shoulders to the wheel.

A shorter Extraordinary Congress means delegates concentrate on only those issues that matter. The real business of the Congress should be to set the ruling party on course to winning the harmonised elections next year.

This will include uniting party supporters once more and coming up with proposals to turnaround the economy.