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Lloyd Gumbo: Senior Reporter

Zanu-PF should stamp out factionalism that threatens to destablise the revolutionary party ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections. The Zanu-PF national security department said if left unchecked, the vice could seriously affect internal stability.The recommendation is contained in the Central Committee report that was unveiled by President Mugabe at the 16th Annual National People’s Conference in Masvingo last week. The security department said there was need to promote unity and discipline, which would help to eliminate factionalism.

“Factionalism in the party, if it remains unchecked, will negatively affect internal stability,” reads the report. “Further, this undesirable behaviour distracts the party leadership and membership from serving the people.

“The party should not give the opposition political parties an opportunity to capitalise on factionalism and gain mileage in the 2018 elections. “Opposition political parties including the MDC-T, MDC-M and Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) as well as civil organisations are fueling social unrest that has led to the destruction of property, threat to lives and distortion of the general state of security in the country.”

The report said this was worsened by international and social media that portrayed Zimbabwe as unstable, a development that negatively impacted on tourist arrivals, investment and the country’s ability to mobilise international lines of credit required to support the local industry.

“People who have ‘nothing to lose’ remain the greatest threat to the country’s security. These include the unemployed, homeless, hungry and individuals who see no light in Zimbabwe.

“This is being aggravated by the falsehoods and misinformation in the social and international media. “Widening inequalities and rising corruption are creating tension among people, which is a threat to national security,” reads the report.

The department also raised concern with the rising cases of murder, armed robberies, rape, domestic violence, smuggling of precious metals and theft. The Government and party continued to implement programmes such as the Command Agriculture, Arda Graduation and the Brazilian More Food Mechanisation Programme to alleviate hunger and promote food security in the country.

The department headed by Politburo member and State Security Minister Kembo Mohadi came up with a number of recommendations to address the security threats.

“Security within the party should be strengthened. There is need to understand the underlying reasons for factionalism and adopt appropriate strategies to manage it and promote unity. This should nonetheless, be done in a manner that does not destablise the party ahead of the 2018 elections.

“The party should strive to address issues facing ordinary people that it represents without of course, creating a culture of laziness and dependency on party handouts. The party needs to inculcate a culture that promotes hard work, accountability and ethical behaviour.

“Further, decisive measures to deal with crime, corruption and widening inequalities should be implemented. “The country’s security situation remains fairly stable despite the demonstrations experienced during the review period. “There is, however, need to remain vigilant and avoid creating situations that give opposition parties an opportunity to dig into Zanu-PF stronghold.

“The party should promote oneness and shun factionalism, which is detrimental to internal stability,” reads the report.

President Mugabe is on record castigating factionalism in the party imploring leaders to instead focus on promoting unity and development.