Zanu-PF warns poll cheats

ZANU-PF members who will seek nominations for the ongoing District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections outside the set guidelines will be disqualified from contesting for any position, the ruling party secretary for the Commissariat Victor Matemadanda has said.

This comes after the commissariat department yesterday received reports of a district chairperson in Midlands province who conducted DCC elections outside party election guidelines.

"We received reports of nominations of candidates from a district in Midlands. Investigations are currently underway to verify if the reports are true. We are waiting for the Politburo to give us guidance on the election dates. We heard that there is a party district in Midlands province, which has already received CVs from prospective candidates. Anyone with evidence of such practices should bring it forward for disciplinary action and such people will be automatically disqualified.

"We have just sent a circular to inter-districts for the purposes of receiving CVs from prospective candidates, which will be carried at the weekend," he said.

Zanu-PF candidates who canvass for positions before the announcement of dates for DCC elections will be automatically disqualified, Matemadanda warned.

"We have just sent a letter of procedure on how the DCC elections should be conducted. It is only the inter-district meeting that have got the mandate to receive the CVs, not an individual, not a provincial member, not a Central Committee member or a Politburo member," said Matemadanda.

He said electioneering amounted to indiscipline and in cases where it is proven, the members concerned will also be disqualified. Provincial party structures are expected to convene Provincial Coordinating Committees next weekend for the purposes of receiving CVs from administrative districts.

The CVs will then be submitted to the party headquarters for vetting process by the security department.

After that the CVs will then pass through the Politburo, which will then give a nod for the DCC elections. Matemadanda urged party members to use proper party channels to air their concerns. He warned some senior party members not to influence the outcome of the DCC elections.

DCCs were disbanded in 2012, after it was felt that they had been hijacked by elements that sought to manipulate party structures to foment factionalism and disharmony in the party.