Mugabe points Zanu-PF Provincial Chairpersons as Provincial Council Chairpersons

President Robert Mugabe has made the first real pointer as to who is going to lead the country's Provincial Councils provided for in Chapter 14 of the new constitution most of which were won by his Zanu-PF party.

In the opening remarks of his hour long speech at the 28th, 21st February Movement Celebration in Marondera on Sunday afternoon, Mugabe said the party's provincial chairpersons were the "most powerful" people in the provinces going on to call them Provincial Council Chairpersons.

"The most powerful person in the province is the Provincial Chairman. More powerful than the Minister, even more powerful than members of the Central Committee or Politiburo who are in the province. They are the chairpersons of the Provincial Council," said the president while observing protocol at his birthday bash.

There has been serious confusion within Zanu-PF structures as to who is "bigger" than the other in the provincial structures. Zanu-PF has provincial chairpersons running the party at provincial level and at the same time contrary to the constitution of the country which dissolved the office of Provincial Governors and Resident Minister, President Mugabe went further to appoint Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs plus the yet to be finalised Provincial Council Chairpersons leaving the party with three or more people jostling for the leadership of the province.

President Mugabe's statement comes in to then clear the air as to who is who in the provinces clearly stating that the Party's Provincial Chairperson is destined to be the Chairperson of the Provincial Councils and so more powerful than the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs who is the President's eye in the Provinces.

The recently appointed provincial ministers have been assuming too much authority in the party hierarchy making themselves the most powerful people in the provinces which Mugabe has cut short at least until the Provincial Councils are set up.

According to the constitution a party with the most number of MPs in the province will appoint a Chairperson to chair the Provincial Council except for the Metropolitans Provinces of Harare and Bulawayo which are chaired by the Mayors of Harare and Bulawayo Municipals respectively.

Zanu-PF won the right to run all the Provincial Councils in the July 31 elections last year except the two Metropolitan Provinces which will be under MDC T governance. Almost a year since the elections the Provincial Councils have still not been sworn in as Parliament still debates legislation to coordinate the Provincial Councils with central government and local authorities.