Behave or else, Zanu-PF warns

THE ruling Zanu-PF said yesterday that it would deal ruthlessly with senior officials who interfere with its eagerly-awaited District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) elections to be held this weekend.

This comes as war veterans leader and former Cabinet minister, Christopher Mutsvangwa, this week called on Zanu-PF leaders to deal firmly with troublemakers whom he accuses of fomenting chaos in the ruling party.

Speaking at a press briefing in Harare yesterday, acting party spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa, said the former liberation movement would not hesitate to expel anyone found guilty of indiscipline.

"I want to warn any of our members … that we are watching any acts of indiscipline that bring the party into disrepute "Acts of indiscipline will be reported to our national disciplinary committee which will descend with a sledge hammer on anyone convicted of perpetrating any acts of violence which disrupt the electoral process.

"I want to say to our members if you commit any acts of indiscipline don't be surprised to find yourself outside the membership of Zanu-PF. Don't blame anybody but yourself," Chinamasa warned further.

"To ensure fairness and minimise manipulation, members of the central committee from one district will supervise elections in another district.

"All preparations for the DCC are on course. We are confident that we will successfully hold the elections. "The supervisory team, including election commissioners and politburo members, have since been deployed to their respective work stations," Chinamasa also said.

He revealed that the official results of the DCC polls would be released on Monday, with people voting tomorrow and Sunday reserved for the transmission of results to the command centre at the Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare.

"As who shall be eligible to vote in these elections, we are going to be using our register of party districts as it was in 2017 and obviously updated.

"Results will be displayed outside every polling station as the party continues to entrench and expand its internal democracy and participatory democracy. "I am saying this to allay any fears of rigging," Chinamasa added.

This comes after Mutsvangwa urged Zanu-PF to follow the example of the late liberation war icon, Josiah Magama Tongogara, whom he said had a crack team that dealt with party "warlords" at the height of the country's liberation struggle in the 1970s.

"As war veterans, we believe in discipline. We don't believe in wayward behaviour and warlords. "Even during the war, we were very particular about that. General Tongogara actually had a crack unit to ensure that those who tried to become warlords on the Zimbabwean battlefield were brought to account by the party. "So, we warn that any warlord behaviour within the party will not be tolerated.

"The state structures in Zimbabwe are very strong, and the legal system as well as the authority of the president is uncontested. We warn those people who are bent on doing wayward things that they will be punished. We condemn totally those who celebrate nefarious behaviour," Mutsvangwa told the Daily News.

This also comes as the run-up to the DCC polls has been marred by allegations of bribery, factionalism and tribalism - with party wars coming to a head in October when violent youths disrupted the former liberation movement's primary elections for the forthcoming Kwekwe Central by-election.

The DCC structures elect Zanu-PF's 10 provincial executives -where the party and President Emmerson Mnangagwa draw members of the central committee and the politburo from.

The party's DCCs were disbanded in 2012 after they were deemed to be fanning factionalism during Mnangagwa and former vice president Joice Mujuru's battles to succeed the late former president Robert Mugabe.