News / National
Mujuru fills NPP posts in secret 'convention'
04 Jul 2017 at 06:43hrs | Views
FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru's National People's Party (NPP) on Friday filled vacant posts in the youth, women and war veterans' wing, as the party urges closer to its main convention expected soon.
NPP has been on the brink over positions with rival groups threatening to leave if their preferred candidates fail to land influential posts.
In a bid to contain the squabbles, the party hastily arranged for a mini-convention that saw Marian Chombo and Lloyd Masiya elected women and youth leaders respectively.
"So each wing elected their top six. Chombo of Mashonaland West has been elected to lead women. She will be deputised by Gladys Hadebe of Bulawayo. Lloyd Masiya of Bulawayo was elected national youth chair. His deputy will be Trevor Ngulube," party spokesperson Methuseli Moyo said.
Despite the secrecy, Moyo claimed the process had been "free and fair".
"Simon Machiri was elected chair for the freedom fighters' wing. The elections were held in Harare on Friday. Each of the 10 provinces was represented by two people per wing. The representatives were themselves elected into the wings' national committees by their respective provinces.
"The elections were incident-free and very peaceful. The wings' leaders, together with all leaders elected nationally, will be endorsed at our main congress, which is by the corner," Moyo said.
For the women's wing, Angel Masiye was elected secretary-general, Nomalanga Khumalo (organising secretary) and Laizer Shindi as treasurer.
In the youth wing, Masiya pulled a shocker when he got the majority votes against the highly-fancied Farai Kuveya.
Although the Friday event was low-key, Moyo said the main convention expected soon would be a major attraction that would possibly change the face of Zimbabwean politics.
"That was just the wings' convention, as it were. The main convention is coming. That one will be big. We wanted the wings to get sorted so that on the day of the national convention there are no side-shows," he said.
Mujuru was elected as party leader unopposed two months ago with John Mvundura and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo as his deputies.
However, Sipepa Nkomo has been in eye of a storm over allegations he is causing divisions that have seen leading figures turning away from the party.
NPP has been on the brink over positions with rival groups threatening to leave if their preferred candidates fail to land influential posts.
In a bid to contain the squabbles, the party hastily arranged for a mini-convention that saw Marian Chombo and Lloyd Masiya elected women and youth leaders respectively.
"So each wing elected their top six. Chombo of Mashonaland West has been elected to lead women. She will be deputised by Gladys Hadebe of Bulawayo. Lloyd Masiya of Bulawayo was elected national youth chair. His deputy will be Trevor Ngulube," party spokesperson Methuseli Moyo said.
Despite the secrecy, Moyo claimed the process had been "free and fair".
"Simon Machiri was elected chair for the freedom fighters' wing. The elections were held in Harare on Friday. Each of the 10 provinces was represented by two people per wing. The representatives were themselves elected into the wings' national committees by their respective provinces.
For the women's wing, Angel Masiye was elected secretary-general, Nomalanga Khumalo (organising secretary) and Laizer Shindi as treasurer.
In the youth wing, Masiya pulled a shocker when he got the majority votes against the highly-fancied Farai Kuveya.
Although the Friday event was low-key, Moyo said the main convention expected soon would be a major attraction that would possibly change the face of Zimbabwean politics.
"That was just the wings' convention, as it were. The main convention is coming. That one will be big. We wanted the wings to get sorted so that on the day of the national convention there are no side-shows," he said.
Mujuru was elected as party leader unopposed two months ago with John Mvundura and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo as his deputies.
However, Sipepa Nkomo has been in eye of a storm over allegations he is causing divisions that have seen leading figures turning away from the party.
Source - newsday