News / National
Zanu-PF election guidelines brew storm
17 Jul 2014 at 07:25hrs | Views
DISGRUNTLED Zanu-PF members are planning to submit a petition to the party's elections directorate in protest against stringent rules and regulations approved by the Politburo last Friday to govern elections to the women and youth league positions. The Politburo, Zanu-PF's highest decision-making body outside of congress, last week approved a raft of changes to guidelines that would govern elections at the Youth and Women's league congresses to take place in Harare in August.
The new guidelines have brewed a storm with discontented members and their supporters planning to take action. According to the new guidelines announced by the party's secretary for legal affairs, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a Zanu-PF member must have served the party for 15 consecutive years in order to be eligible to contest for any Central Committee position.
'For election into the Youth League national executive, a Zanu-PF member must be 35 years and below and should have served in the same executive for five years during which they should not have been hauled before the party's disciplinary proceedings. The two congresses will be followed by Central Committee elections as the crunch December elective congress draws nearer. These events are a prelude to the national congress. This explains the jockeying for top positions which has reached fever pitch as factionalism rocks the revolutionary party.
Mnangagwa and Vice President Joice Mujuru are believed to be leading two contesting camps although both have denied leading any faction.
Zanu-PF inside sources told the Financial Gazette that the members most aggrieved by the new guidelines are those eyeing positions in the Central Committee, which is the second highest decision-making body outside congress and those willing to contest for top positions in the Women's League and the Youth League; as well as their supporters.
The aggrieved Zanu-PF members allege that the new rules were concocted by the party's old guard so that they would remain in office by blocking the ascendance of newcomers and youthful members commonly known as the "Young Turks" keen for a quick rise in the party structures. Sources told the Financial Gazette that the "old guard" started feeling insecure when some of the "Young Turks" who had won seats in Parliament and earned promotion to deputy ministers started bragging in public that they were out to topple them.
"That is when they first mooted the idea of ring fencing themselves into those powerful positions but this could backfire given the huge disgruntlement settling in," a source said. The sources accused party bigwigs of disrespecting democratic values. "If you look at this issue critically, you will see that these election rules disrespect the democratic notion of leadership change. Practically, there is no election to talk about here. What the party has done is to simply retain the people who are in those positions already," said a Zanu-PF member who preferred anonymity.
"If you look at the Youth League, for example, the people who should be voting for national executive members have been declared ineligible to stand for election themselves. How can we have only the incumbent national executive members eligible for positions? When are the others going to be given the chance?" he quizzed.
A member of the Zanu-PF Youth League who had his eyes on a senior position in the organ's national executive but has since been disqualified said: "People are not happy at all with these guidelines. We can safely say there are no elections in the Youth League this year. What is going to happen is simply reaffirming of those already in power and this has generated lot of disgruntlement in the party. The youths feel used."
Some of the aspiring youth candidates whose ambitions stand to be thwarted by the new guidelines include Gokwe Nembudziya legislator, Justice Mayor Wadyajena, and Mhondoro Ngezi Member of Parliament, Mike Gava. Gava and Wadyajena were campaigning for the position of deputy secretary for youth affairs but have now been frozen out of the race because of the new guidelines. This leaves incumbent Edson Chakanyuka and Makoni West MP, Kudzanai Chipanga, in the race for the top post which comes with the blessing of automatic entry into the Politburo.
It, however, remains to be seen how Zanu-PF will deal with the bulk of the members of the Youth League's national executive, including both Wadyajena and Gava, who do not have the required five years experience at the top level. When contacted by the Financial Gazette Wadyajena refused to comment and demanded that questions be e-mailed to him. He, however, had not responded to the emails by the time of going to print.
Gava could not be reached for comment. Chipanga was in a festive mood in an interview with this paper. "I am 100 percent in support of these reforms. They help secure the party from fly-by-night politicians who only recently joined the party to get into positions. Where were they when we joined the party many years ago? I am going to contest for the position of deputy national secretary for youth affairs and am very confident of victory," he declared.
The issue is also intense in the Women's League with indications that chefs' wives, Constance Shamu, Auxilia Mnangagwa and Alice Midzi - wives of ICT Minister Webster Shamu; Justice Minister Mnangagwa; Zanu-PF Harare Province chairperson Amos Midzi respectively, as well as Miriam Chikukwa, who have all been linked to the position of deputy national secretary for women's affairs and other senior posts have been rendered ineligible to contest by the new guidelines.
"This has raised a lot of dust as all these lack the requisite experience according to the new guidelines. Some have even suggested the idea of appealing to the elections directorate headed by national chairman Simon Khaya-Moyo to see if these guidelines can be reviewed. Fifteen years experience is obviously too much for many people," said another Zanu-PF member.
Contrary to growing speculation, party spokesman, Rugare Gumbo, has since said that the regulations were not targeted at anyone adding that they were meant at ensuring that only members with the right credentials form national structures. Khaya-Moyo, the party's national chairman and head of the elections directorate refused to comment on the matter. "I do not respond to what I have not seen. Let them come to us first," he said.
One of the biggest casualties could be Politburo member and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo who was expelled from the party in 2005 after contesting elections as an independent candidate and was re-admitted four years later. This means he does not have the required 15 years consecutive years experience in the party. Other heavyweights who risk falling by the wayside include Mike Madiro, Daniel Shumba, speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda and July Moyo.
Makonde MP Kindness Paradza and Marondera East constituency MP Isaac Gadzikwa will also be affected since in 2008 they contested to be legislators under the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party.
The new guidelines have brewed a storm with discontented members and their supporters planning to take action. According to the new guidelines announced by the party's secretary for legal affairs, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a Zanu-PF member must have served the party for 15 consecutive years in order to be eligible to contest for any Central Committee position.
'For election into the Youth League national executive, a Zanu-PF member must be 35 years and below and should have served in the same executive for five years during which they should not have been hauled before the party's disciplinary proceedings. The two congresses will be followed by Central Committee elections as the crunch December elective congress draws nearer. These events are a prelude to the national congress. This explains the jockeying for top positions which has reached fever pitch as factionalism rocks the revolutionary party.
Mnangagwa and Vice President Joice Mujuru are believed to be leading two contesting camps although both have denied leading any faction.
Zanu-PF inside sources told the Financial Gazette that the members most aggrieved by the new guidelines are those eyeing positions in the Central Committee, which is the second highest decision-making body outside congress and those willing to contest for top positions in the Women's League and the Youth League; as well as their supporters.
The aggrieved Zanu-PF members allege that the new rules were concocted by the party's old guard so that they would remain in office by blocking the ascendance of newcomers and youthful members commonly known as the "Young Turks" keen for a quick rise in the party structures. Sources told the Financial Gazette that the "old guard" started feeling insecure when some of the "Young Turks" who had won seats in Parliament and earned promotion to deputy ministers started bragging in public that they were out to topple them.
"That is when they first mooted the idea of ring fencing themselves into those powerful positions but this could backfire given the huge disgruntlement settling in," a source said. The sources accused party bigwigs of disrespecting democratic values. "If you look at this issue critically, you will see that these election rules disrespect the democratic notion of leadership change. Practically, there is no election to talk about here. What the party has done is to simply retain the people who are in those positions already," said a Zanu-PF member who preferred anonymity.
"If you look at the Youth League, for example, the people who should be voting for national executive members have been declared ineligible to stand for election themselves. How can we have only the incumbent national executive members eligible for positions? When are the others going to be given the chance?" he quizzed.
A member of the Zanu-PF Youth League who had his eyes on a senior position in the organ's national executive but has since been disqualified said: "People are not happy at all with these guidelines. We can safely say there are no elections in the Youth League this year. What is going to happen is simply reaffirming of those already in power and this has generated lot of disgruntlement in the party. The youths feel used."
It, however, remains to be seen how Zanu-PF will deal with the bulk of the members of the Youth League's national executive, including both Wadyajena and Gava, who do not have the required five years experience at the top level. When contacted by the Financial Gazette Wadyajena refused to comment and demanded that questions be e-mailed to him. He, however, had not responded to the emails by the time of going to print.
Gava could not be reached for comment. Chipanga was in a festive mood in an interview with this paper. "I am 100 percent in support of these reforms. They help secure the party from fly-by-night politicians who only recently joined the party to get into positions. Where were they when we joined the party many years ago? I am going to contest for the position of deputy national secretary for youth affairs and am very confident of victory," he declared.
The issue is also intense in the Women's League with indications that chefs' wives, Constance Shamu, Auxilia Mnangagwa and Alice Midzi - wives of ICT Minister Webster Shamu; Justice Minister Mnangagwa; Zanu-PF Harare Province chairperson Amos Midzi respectively, as well as Miriam Chikukwa, who have all been linked to the position of deputy national secretary for women's affairs and other senior posts have been rendered ineligible to contest by the new guidelines.
"This has raised a lot of dust as all these lack the requisite experience according to the new guidelines. Some have even suggested the idea of appealing to the elections directorate headed by national chairman Simon Khaya-Moyo to see if these guidelines can be reviewed. Fifteen years experience is obviously too much for many people," said another Zanu-PF member.
Contrary to growing speculation, party spokesman, Rugare Gumbo, has since said that the regulations were not targeted at anyone adding that they were meant at ensuring that only members with the right credentials form national structures. Khaya-Moyo, the party's national chairman and head of the elections directorate refused to comment on the matter. "I do not respond to what I have not seen. Let them come to us first," he said.
One of the biggest casualties could be Politburo member and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo who was expelled from the party in 2005 after contesting elections as an independent candidate and was re-admitted four years later. This means he does not have the required 15 years consecutive years experience in the party. Other heavyweights who risk falling by the wayside include Mike Madiro, Daniel Shumba, speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda and July Moyo.
Makonde MP Kindness Paradza and Marondera East constituency MP Isaac Gadzikwa will also be affected since in 2008 they contested to be legislators under the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party.
Source - fingaz
