'War vets to fill strategic Zanu-PF positions'

POWER struggles that dogged Zanu-PF over the years and led to the birth of factions within the party were a result of the absence of a patriotic political commissar, a senior party official has said.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Patrick Chinamasa said as a revolutionary party they had resolved to put in place a war liberation fighter to take the position of political commissar.

Speaking at the Manicaland extraordinary provincial central committee (PCC) meeting held in Mutare on Sunday, Chinamasa said the resolution would be ratified at the December Extraordinary Congress.

"We sat as the Central Committee and resolved that as we go forward we should respect the war veterans," he said. "We agreed that they should be in strategic positions of the party and Government, as long as they have requisite qualifications.

"When the G40 cabal came in, they shoved the war veterans away. As we discussed further, we realised that part of the problems we were facing were there because we didn't have a political commissar. The one who was there had ambitions to be the president of the country — something he would achieve by dividing the people in the party.

"I am sure that when we will be selecting a political commissar, we should pick someone who is a war veteran."

Chinamasa said the Central Committee resolved to reinstate the district coordinating committees, which were dismissed in 2014.

"These were destroyed by Didymus Mutasa (the then secretary for Administration)," he said. "I don't know why he decided to disband them during that time."

Chinamasa said the reinstated district coordinating committees would participate at the forthcoming Congress.

"We agreed that one member of the district coordinating committee (DCC) is allowed to attend the Congress," he said. "We said that those who had once attended the Congress should allow those who have never attended to attend. They should give each other a chance."

Manicaland provincial chairperson Mike Madiro warned party members not to rush to select the DCC members, saying they needed to follow due processes.

"Don't rush to select the DCC," he said. "The party will come and implement the due processes to select those DCCs. We need to follow a process that leaves Manicaland united. We need to be responsible when selecting the DCCs."

Madiro said as the provincial chairman, he was looking forward to stabilising the party.

He asked the women's wing and youths to start selecting their executive leaders and forward them to him.