'We are still cleansing Zanu-PF,' says Kasukuwere

Zanu-PF national commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere says the ongoing "hullabaloos" in Zanu-PF are aimed at "cleansing" the revolutionary party of ill-driven, unbecoming elements.

Speaking on the sidelines of a Harare Central Business District clean-up campaign where his Environment, Water and Climate ministry partnered with Local Government ministry and Environment Management Agency (Ema) among other environmental stakeholders, Kasukuwere likened government's urgent efforts to clean-up Harare ahead of a Sadc meeting to the politburo's efforts to clean up Zanu-PF.

"Let us clean the city and clean the party as well. Zanu-PF is moving ahead with the party cleansing process," said Kasukuwere.

Speaking to journalists at the same event, Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo, who is also ruling party's secretary for administration, dismissed ongoing reports that the party had set up a committee to "deal with (Didymus) Mutasa" saying they were "unguided speculations."

Mutasa, former Zanu-PF secretary for administration and former minister of State Security in the office of the president was last year reduced to an ordinary card-carrying member for allegedly working in cahoots with former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to topple President Robert Mugabe.

"Let me correct all Zimbabweans who might have been misled by some sectors of the media to believe we set up a committee to deal with Mutasa. This committee was not enacted to deal with an individual but it's a standing disciplinary committee which will handle cases for the next five years (sic)," said Chombo.

Speaking on government's measure to rid the capital city of informal traders who have converted most of the city's pavements into tuckshops, Chombo said the time had come for government to take action regarding informal traders and commuter operators.

"Vendors are going to be relocated to authorised vending sites. There should be no vending on road pavements, traffic intersections, road island, middle of the road and in front of the shops and  offices. The time for action to ensure that all informal traders and kombi drivers adhere to city by-laws has come," said Chombo.

The move by the government to speed up relocation of vendors comes after the National Vendors Union Zimbabwe chairperson Sten Zvorwadza announced on Tuesday that government had to prioritise people's income-earning methods over cleanliness.

"The new vending sites are not business friendly and we will ntot be forced neither (sic) by the city fathers nor by the military to uphold cleanliness at the expense of livelihood," said Zvorwadza.