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Zanu-PF Politburo orders Masvingo poll re-run
28 Mar 2014 at 16:33hrs | Views
The Politburo on Wednesday ordered a poll re-run in Masvingo after Zanu PF provincial election results were sullied by allegations of electoral fraud and flagrant violation of voting guidelines.
This was after a letter written to national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo and penned by Munyaradzi Mangwana, Shuvai Mahofa and Daniel Shumba was tabled before the Politburo.
The letter raised a number of objections to the legitimacy of the Callisto Gwanetsa-led executive and its November installation into office.
The three Zanu PF officials said the objections were raised at a provincial meeting held on March 8 in Masvingo, that was also attended by Webster Shamu, the Zanu PF national political commissar.
Shamu was not reachable for comment.
"The meeting noted that the chairman misdirected, manipulated and did not follow party directives on the holding and conduct of provincial elections," said the letter to Khaya Moyo.
"He with the full blessing of Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire negated to call for the provincial inter-district conference to elect into office the provincial executive but instead went on to appoint members into office in a partisan manner.
"The appointments were and remain in direct contravention of Commissariat Circular 19/2013, regarding the election of provincial executives into office. This continued deliberate violation of party rules, policies and procedures is rendering it impossible to effectively and legitimately conduct party business and affairs in Masvingo province."
The Masvingo provincial meeting complained that the same "un-elected and illegitimate provincial executive" was now giving itself a mandate to change and restructure subordinate party organs in order to put into office members who were partisan to ward their executive.
"The provincial chairman (Gwanetsa) has now resorted to intimidating and use of insulting language in order to subdue members during meetings," the letter says.
Top party sources said the damning letter split the Politburo along factional lines on Wednesday, with Shamhu, Rugare Gumbo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Nelson Mawema and Mavhaire reacting angrily to the letter. All of them are believed to be Vice President Joice Mujuru's loyalists.
Justice and Legal Affairs minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 66-year-old guerrilla war veteran and President Robert Mugabe's key ally and enforcer, is widely seen as a succession contender, along with Mujuru, 58, another liberation war veteran whose nom de guerre was Teurai Ropa and is leading the stakes to succeed the 90-year-old Mugabe.
Both have been members of Mugabe's Cabinet since 1980, and played a major role in Zanu PF's re-election machine, and are looking to strategically position loyalists ahead of the elective congress in December that will decide a successor to Mugabe.
Meanwhile, tension is also mounting fast within Zanu-PF as rival factions gear up for a tough fight to control the party's youth league ahead of the much-anticipated elective congress in December.
Sources in the party said the youth league is scheduled to hold its congress in July where the new executive would be installed, but jostling and mudslinging are rife as aspiring candidates position themselves.
This was after a letter written to national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo and penned by Munyaradzi Mangwana, Shuvai Mahofa and Daniel Shumba was tabled before the Politburo.
The letter raised a number of objections to the legitimacy of the Callisto Gwanetsa-led executive and its November installation into office.
The three Zanu PF officials said the objections were raised at a provincial meeting held on March 8 in Masvingo, that was also attended by Webster Shamu, the Zanu PF national political commissar.
Shamu was not reachable for comment.
"The meeting noted that the chairman misdirected, manipulated and did not follow party directives on the holding and conduct of provincial elections," said the letter to Khaya Moyo.
"He with the full blessing of Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire negated to call for the provincial inter-district conference to elect into office the provincial executive but instead went on to appoint members into office in a partisan manner.
The Masvingo provincial meeting complained that the same "un-elected and illegitimate provincial executive" was now giving itself a mandate to change and restructure subordinate party organs in order to put into office members who were partisan to ward their executive.
"The provincial chairman (Gwanetsa) has now resorted to intimidating and use of insulting language in order to subdue members during meetings," the letter says.
Top party sources said the damning letter split the Politburo along factional lines on Wednesday, with Shamhu, Rugare Gumbo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Nelson Mawema and Mavhaire reacting angrily to the letter. All of them are believed to be Vice President Joice Mujuru's loyalists.
Justice and Legal Affairs minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 66-year-old guerrilla war veteran and President Robert Mugabe's key ally and enforcer, is widely seen as a succession contender, along with Mujuru, 58, another liberation war veteran whose nom de guerre was Teurai Ropa and is leading the stakes to succeed the 90-year-old Mugabe.
Both have been members of Mugabe's Cabinet since 1980, and played a major role in Zanu PF's re-election machine, and are looking to strategically position loyalists ahead of the elective congress in December that will decide a successor to Mugabe.
Meanwhile, tension is also mounting fast within Zanu-PF as rival factions gear up for a tough fight to control the party's youth league ahead of the much-anticipated elective congress in December.
Sources in the party said the youth league is scheduled to hold its congress in July where the new executive would be installed, but jostling and mudslinging are rife as aspiring candidates position themselves.
Source - dailynews
