News / National
Zanu-PF in flames over DCC polls
15 Sep 2020 at 06:25hrs | Views
DIVISIONS have rocked the ruling Zanu-PF party over its impending district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections amid reports of plots by party bigwigs to impose candidates as internal succession wars thicken.
The party disbanded the DCCs in 2012 after it emerged that they had become favourite hunting grounds for then Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who were jostling to succeed the now late former President Robert Mugabe.
After romping to power through a military-assisted coup in November 2017, Mnangagwa immediately reinstated the DCCs, with elections for the lower tier of the Zanu-PF power structures scheduled to start soon.
However, fierce fights over control of the structures have re-emerged amid reports that faction leaders were back in the trenches trying to sway votes in favour of candidates deemed loyal to either Mnangagwa or his deputy Constantino Chiwenga who is said to be angling to take over as party leader.
On Saturday, party commissar Victor Matemadanda singled out Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Midlands provinces as trouble spots.
"All the people who sat down and did shortlisting of candidates, those (candidates) are going to be disqualified. What makes you want to have your own sub-structure? The structure must be one which reports to the President. Why do you think you must have a structure that is loyal to you?" he asked rhetorically.
"I heard that in Mashonaland West, around Patchway area, there was a caucus meeting to shortlist candidates for DCC and say so and so will be chairperson, secretary etc... that is nonsense. There is nothing like that. We are going to do proper elections there."
"In Chipinge, I heard that is what was happening also. In Mashonaland East, I heard there was a district which was doing that again. Let me tell them that they will achieve nothing. We want to have a structure of the party not of an individual. Here in Midlands, the same problem had started, but I shall not mention names," an irate Matemadanda said.
According to the Zanu-PF constitution, there are 60 rural DCCs that must be constituted and 29 in urban areas.
When fully constituted, the DCCs form part of the Zanu-PF congress, which is the supreme decision-making body mandated to elect the party president.
Accordingly, whoever controls DCCs has greater potential of sustaining power in Zanu-PF.
The party disbanded the DCCs in 2012 after it emerged that they had become favourite hunting grounds for then Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who were jostling to succeed the now late former President Robert Mugabe.
After romping to power through a military-assisted coup in November 2017, Mnangagwa immediately reinstated the DCCs, with elections for the lower tier of the Zanu-PF power structures scheduled to start soon.
However, fierce fights over control of the structures have re-emerged amid reports that faction leaders were back in the trenches trying to sway votes in favour of candidates deemed loyal to either Mnangagwa or his deputy Constantino Chiwenga who is said to be angling to take over as party leader.
On Saturday, party commissar Victor Matemadanda singled out Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Midlands provinces as trouble spots.
"All the people who sat down and did shortlisting of candidates, those (candidates) are going to be disqualified. What makes you want to have your own sub-structure? The structure must be one which reports to the President. Why do you think you must have a structure that is loyal to you?" he asked rhetorically.
"I heard that in Mashonaland West, around Patchway area, there was a caucus meeting to shortlist candidates for DCC and say so and so will be chairperson, secretary etc... that is nonsense. There is nothing like that. We are going to do proper elections there."
"In Chipinge, I heard that is what was happening also. In Mashonaland East, I heard there was a district which was doing that again. Let me tell them that they will achieve nothing. We want to have a structure of the party not of an individual. Here in Midlands, the same problem had started, but I shall not mention names," an irate Matemadanda said.
According to the Zanu-PF constitution, there are 60 rural DCCs that must be constituted and 29 in urban areas.
When fully constituted, the DCCs form part of the Zanu-PF congress, which is the supreme decision-making body mandated to elect the party president.
Accordingly, whoever controls DCCs has greater potential of sustaining power in Zanu-PF.
Source - newsday
