Zanu-PF dissolves Bulawayo central district

Zanu-PF factionalism in Bulawayo Province turned nasty at the weekend as the whole Bulawayo City Centre District of the party was dissolved on allegations of refusing to take directives from the provincial executive committee.

The Zanu-PF Bulawayo City Centre District led by former non-constituency Senator Canisia Satiya and  Elias Sengu was dissolved on Saturday by the party's provincial leadership. The suspensions of the Zanu-PF Bulawayo City  Centre District members comes two months after the party's provincial chairman, Isaac Dakamela, was also suspended for being arrogant and stubborn.

Speaking to Radio VOP on Sunday, Killion Sibanda, the Zanu-PF acting Bulawayo Provincial chairperson, said:"We dissolved that district after realising that some people who claimed to be running that district were not even our members and had no respect of the provincial leadership. Some were vendors, who were abusing the party's name. So that district is dissolved until further notice."

In the past months serious divisions have been rocking Zanu-PF in most provinces of the country. There were several reports of chaotic District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections whose results were disputed in Masvingo, Midlands and Manicaland and Matebeleland North provinces.

In May a special session of the Zanu-PF politburo tasked its national commissar, Webster Shamu, to probe allegations of vote-buying and imposition of candidates in several provinces where the outcome of DCC election results were disputed.

President Robert Mugabe also made a passionate appeal for unity within his Zanu-PF party while aggressively condemning factionalism that he said was destroying the former liberation movement ahead of possible elections.