Zanu-PF in turmoil

It is D-day for Zanu-PF faction leaders as the politburo will today decide on the fate of "bigwigs" accused of fanning divisions in the party hierarchy, with secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa expected to table a damning report on his findings on the cliques threatening to rip the party apart.

Mutasa, who had been touring the provinces to explain to the party faithfuls the reasons to disband the District Coordinating Committees (DCCs), set the tempo of the politburo meeting when he warned on Monday that faction leaders faced the axe.

"The party will sit down to consider the report by Cde (Didymus) Mutasa tomorrow (today)," party spokesman Rugare Gumbo said on Tuesday.

"The party has not taken a decision, but Mutasa was simply warning those wayward leaders who are taking a position that is not in line with party policy.
The politburo will decide what to do with those who fan factionalism in the party."

Mutasa said the party would purge officials linked to cliques as it moved to clean Zanu-PF ahead of general elections, warning that there would be no "sacred cows".

President Robert Mugabe disbanded DCCs last month arguing they were serving a "divisive role", a move seen by many as a blow to party legal affairs chief Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa and Vice President Joice Mujuru reportedly lead factions in the party, positioning themselves to succeed the 88-year-old Mugabe although the two have repeatedly denied the assertion.

Yesterday, Gumbo said on the agenda of the politburo would be the alleged failure by Harare province to deal with shadowy Mbare-based militia group Chipangano, which was terrorising people in the capital.

"The province has been tasked to investigate those cases when people use the party's name in doing bad things," Gumbo said.

Mutasa has already publicly challenged Harare provincial chairperson Ambassador Amos
Midzi to urgently deal with Chipangano so that the party could reclaim all the seats it lost to the MDC-T.

The politburo is also expected to come up with a position on the draft constitution finalised by Copac last week, amid reports heavyweights in Zanu-PF were divided on the proposed new governance charter.

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