News / National
Matemadanda warns Zanu-PF bigwigs
23 Sep 2020 at 22:27hrs | Views
THE ruling Zanu-PF has threatened to crack the whip on party bigwigs interfering with processes of the impending party district coordinating committees (DCC) elections.
This comes amid reports of infighting between the party bigwigs over candidates to participate in the elections to re-introduce the DCCs that were dissolved in 2012.
Addressing a press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF national commissar Victor Matemadanda said appropriate action would be taken against leaders found to have interfered with the elections.
"I understand that in some provinces they have set up teams for vetting and recommending... that is outside the instructions we gave. The instructions were that they receive and yes, put remarks, but not to necessarily have a panel that is going to vet. It's outside the instructions that we gave and if anyone has or is going to do that it is null and void; we are not going to consider anything from that.
"I want to emphasise that everyone who is going to be involved, including the leadership, we all must be bound by party discipline. Party discipline entails also not to go against given instructions despite the level of a person.
"There is no one who is above the law. If we say a procedure must be followed that is what must be done. No one is allowed to change that because we only direct what has been communicated by the politburo. Any deviation from what we have said will be considered as indiscipline and action will be taken," Matemadanda said.
The DCCs were disbanded in 2012 as the party felt they were being used to foment divisions and factionalism in the Party.
Matemadanda added that the DCCs elections were meant to rejuvenate and revitalise Zanu-PF instead of strengthening individuals within the party.
"The desire is that the process should bring in people who are purely going to be serving the party, not any particular leader in the provinces or districts. Some areas had developed a tendency where some MPs would want to influence who goes where looking at 2023, so that they create grounds for campaigning. This is not the purpose of the election. The election is supposed to result in strengthening the party and this is what we want.
"It is the people who are going to be led who should be given a chance to elect the person they think is better suited to lead them.
"We want this to be adhered to and strictly observed. No leader is ever going to be allowed to give an input on who should be what," Matemadanda said.
"Whenever there is an election, there is a contest. Of course it's natural and normal that some people will be having their preferred candidates...but the party protocols do not allow that, especially us in the leadership to go and say I prefer candidate A not candidate B.
"There are things that we correct just through a telephone call, but ... we have resorted to paper communication so that we have things on record," he added.
Matemadanda called on interested candidates to submit their curriculum vitae by September 24 for the selection process.
This comes amid reports of infighting between the party bigwigs over candidates to participate in the elections to re-introduce the DCCs that were dissolved in 2012.
Addressing a press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF national commissar Victor Matemadanda said appropriate action would be taken against leaders found to have interfered with the elections.
"I understand that in some provinces they have set up teams for vetting and recommending... that is outside the instructions we gave. The instructions were that they receive and yes, put remarks, but not to necessarily have a panel that is going to vet. It's outside the instructions that we gave and if anyone has or is going to do that it is null and void; we are not going to consider anything from that.
"I want to emphasise that everyone who is going to be involved, including the leadership, we all must be bound by party discipline. Party discipline entails also not to go against given instructions despite the level of a person.
"There is no one who is above the law. If we say a procedure must be followed that is what must be done. No one is allowed to change that because we only direct what has been communicated by the politburo. Any deviation from what we have said will be considered as indiscipline and action will be taken," Matemadanda said.
The DCCs were disbanded in 2012 as the party felt they were being used to foment divisions and factionalism in the Party.
"The desire is that the process should bring in people who are purely going to be serving the party, not any particular leader in the provinces or districts. Some areas had developed a tendency where some MPs would want to influence who goes where looking at 2023, so that they create grounds for campaigning. This is not the purpose of the election. The election is supposed to result in strengthening the party and this is what we want.
"It is the people who are going to be led who should be given a chance to elect the person they think is better suited to lead them.
"We want this to be adhered to and strictly observed. No leader is ever going to be allowed to give an input on who should be what," Matemadanda said.
"Whenever there is an election, there is a contest. Of course it's natural and normal that some people will be having their preferred candidates...but the party protocols do not allow that, especially us in the leadership to go and say I prefer candidate A not candidate B.
"There are things that we correct just through a telephone call, but ... we have resorted to paper communication so that we have things on record," he added.
Matemadanda called on interested candidates to submit their curriculum vitae by September 24 for the selection process.
Source - dailynews
