Succession agendas undermining Mugabe's victory

The frantic jostling for Zanu-PF provincial posts ahead of the October 26 elections has been rocked by allegations of vote-buying and influence-peddling driven by personality politics instead of focusing on the party's mandate to deliver on promises to the electorate.

Party sources said the divisive manoeuvres were raising eyebrows in that they were not informed by party policy as enunciated in the July 31 harmonised election manifesto and President Mugabe's speeches at the opening of Parliament and at inauguration.

Some individuals in the party are viewing the provincial elections as an opportunity to dwell on the so-called succession issue.

"Succession is not on the agenda. We have just come out of an election that gave us a huge mandate to deliver on promises made to voters. These people who are using the provincial elections as cover to pursue these succession agendas are undermining the President's victory. They are undermining the party's policy agenda," said a party insider.

There were concerns that the ambitious party members, who were running around and positioning themselves as individuals or cliques, would erode the spirit of "Team Zanu-PF" which won the harmonised elections and open the party to division and infighting.

"What's raising eyebrows is that these people are mounting a content-free campaign. There's an absence of the party's policy agenda. There's an absence of the new economic blueprint agenda. There's an absence of the Government's legislative agenda as enunciated by President Mugabe during the official opening of Parliament," said a party cadre who refused to be named.

A source in the ruling party said it was unfortunate that these divisive actions were occurring at a time Zanu-PF had resoundingly won an election.

"It's unfortunate that these activities are happening when the party is back in power on the back of a massive victory.

"There is goodwill in the country right now to see to it that we focus on bread and butter issues. Some interests in the party are taking these elections as an invitation to jostle for positions, use money to buy influence and pursue the so-called succession issue. They are wrong," said the party insider.

A Zanu-PF Central Committee member said: "It is unfortunate that instead of guiding the forthcoming provincial elections in accordance with the Zanu-PF constitution and following President Mugabe's leadership, some elements in the party have resorted to the use of money and dirty tricks to sponsor or front candidates in pursuit of positions for their own sake or in preparation for so-called succession agendas.

"This is unfortunate not only because it flies in the face of the pledges and promises made in the Zanu-PF manifesto and the President's inauguration address and his speech when he opened Parliament, but also because it goes against the current positive national mood which has been inspired by the policy focus spirit of Team Zanu-PF in Government.

"Manipulating the rules or using money to defeat the process of provincial elections is not the Zanu-PF way and those involved should be warned that they will have only themselves to blame when they are exposed because what they are doing undermines the party's manifesto and is therefore a betrayal of the people."

Contacted for comment last night, Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu said the culprits risked disciplinary action, including being barred from participating in the polls and ultimate expulsion from the party.

He said all election candidates should remain guided by the party's constitution, rules and guidelines.

"We have a well-defined constitution that guides the activities of our members and all forms of indiscipline, corruption and violence will not be tolerated," he said.

"The party will not hesitate to stop all members from participating in the elections if they are implicated with evidence in cases of indiscipline, use of violence or bribery.

"After the member has been stopped from participating in those elections, disciplinary measures will follow soon after because we want our members to defend the brand Zanu-PF and not to tarnish it."

Cde Shamu said Zanu-PF was fully behind President Mugabe, adding that there were no factions in the party. He said the elections would be held under the secret ballot system.

"We have only one faction which is behind President Mugabe and any other faction is not in Zanu-PF," he said.