Khaya-Moyo crushes Didymus Mutasa's Zanu-PF ambitious

Incumbent Zanu-PF national chairperson, Simon Khaya Moyo says an ex-PF-Zapu cadre should succeed him as per tradition in the event he is elevated, crushing  Didymus Mutasa's ambitions as he was reportedly eyeing to be promoted from secretary for administration to the position.

Moyo, who is tipped to be elevated to the post of second vice-president of the party at the December congress to replace the late John Nkomo, said tradition, has to be followed in choosing who should replace him when he goes up the ladder.

Speaking to The Zimbabwe Mail on Wednesday, Moyo said the procedure to choose his successor was very clear.

"Why are you trying to confuse things? Tradition is there and everyone knows what has been happening and it should be like that, simple," he said.

"The same process that had been used in the past has to follow and so people should not try to confuse things," Moyo said adding that "People should know the protocol of the party, it is written in black and white and besides precedence was set,  it has to be followed, nothing more nothing less, it is
very simple and straightforward," he said.

Traditionally, the party's national chairship post and that of the second vice-president's post have been reserved for ex-Zapu members.

Mutasa, who lost the same post to Moyo in 2009, has declared interest in trying his luck again and almost got the backing of Masvingo province before Killian Gwanetsa, the provincial chairperson, made a u-turn saying his statement about backing the former was
personal and not a reflection of his executive.

The declaration by Mutasa to aspire for the top post had rattled feathers among top ex-Zapu members who felt his ambitions were a threat to the
unity accord signed between Zanu-PF and-PF Zapu in 1987.

According to the unity accord, the post of a second vice-president of the party is reserved for ex-Zapu members as a way to balance ethnic composition in the country and regional demography.

However, there is an unwritten agreement on the national chairship post with party spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, stating that it was a gentleman's agreement which could be breached anytime.

Speaking on the same post, war veterans' leader, Jabulani Sibanda, said top Zanu-PF officials' agendas (of wanting to assume the post) would tear apart the country's unity and revolutionary ideals as they would have disregarded and disrespected the unity accord's provisions and "gentleman's" agreement.

Sibanda said although the war veterans had not yet met and agreed on the issue, it was odd that some top party officials wanted to break the gentleman's agreement which unites the people of Zimbabwe for their selfish gains.

"I have a few questions for Rugare Gumbo, whom I heard saying the chairperson post was a gentleman's agreement, does he mean that they are no longer gentlemen to carry on with what other gentlemen agreed then which saw the country being united?  Should we destroy the gentlemen in us and scavenge for posts (sic)?" Sibanda asked.

When the unity accord was signed,-PF Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo was accorded the second vice-presidency while Joseph Msika was made national chair of the united Zanu-PF.

After the death of Nkomo in 1999, Msika rose to the post of vice-president while John Nkomo was elevated to the post of national chair and subsequently to the post of vice president, when Msika died in 2008.

Moyo took over from Nkomo, in 2009, as the national chair and is now set to rise to the post of vice-president following the latter's death last year.