Zanu-PF factional fights spills into South Africa

Zanu-PF's factional fights have spilled into South Africa, where there are wrangles between the main wing and the youth league.

According to a senior party member who requested anonymity, suspensions and death threats are the order of the day as Mujuru and Mnangagwa supporters wrestle for power.

"It is very tense in the South African district and if this is not well-managed, some people might die," said the source. "The biggest problem is that the factional fights have drawn in other negative factors like tribalism and this might see them grow worse even after the congress."

The main wing is apparently in support of Vice President Joice Mujuru, while the youths favour Justice Minister Emerson Mnangagwa. The youths have accused the main wing of pushing tribalism and not following the party's constitution, while the main wing, chaired by Ndabezinhle Nyoni, said the youth had been infiltrated by "Mnangagwa's CIOs" and were behaving as if they owned the party.

"These boys think that, just because they belong to a certain tribal grouping, they are the owners of the party, but we will not allow that. They will not scare us even with Mnangagwa's CIOs in their midst. This is a political party and we don't have a place for state security agents sent to destabilise us," said an executive member of the main wing.

"We will show them that we are their leaders and that they must respect us. We cannot be forced to support a certain individual's personal push for power. We know that Mnangagwa is buying people so that he can rise in the party structures, but we will keep fighting that. Things must be done procedurally."

However, youth members accused Nyoni of flouting the party's constitution when dealing with dissent. "The chairman has filled the party with his cronies, including his brother and he uses that to flout the party constitution with his heavy-handedness," said a youth wing member.

The youth accused Nyoni of disregarding the constitution when he recently suspended three youth executive members - youth chair Gift Mtete, his deputy Warren Malinga and secretary for information Courage Mangwiro.

When he was told to lift the suspension, he temporarily resigned from his post, but has come back to confiscate office keys, leaving the youth with nowhere to hold their meetings.

While no official communication could be obtained from the main wing, Mtete confirmed that there were "some problems" within the party.

"It is one of those things we cannot just discuss with the media, but we do have some problems that are normal in any party and we will get over them the Zanu-PF way, not the media way," said Mtete.