Zanu-PF purges cascading to the administrative structures

ZANU-PF purges which rocked the politburo, the central committee as well as cabinet are now cascading to the administrative structures of the party - from the headquarters to the cell level - amid reports the new secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo wants to carry out an audit aimed at flashing out remaining former Vice-President Joice Mujuru loyalists.

Politburo sources said Chombo on Wednesday presented a report to the politburo in which he said he is going to carry out an audit aimed at restructuring various organs and structures of the party.

However, sources said the move is aimed at flashing out those party members in his department who are said to have been loyal to ousted secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa and Mujuru.

"There is no re-organisation that he wants to do but to continue to purge the Mujuru loyalists who were not affected by the clean-up of the administrative staff that rocked the party between November and December last year," a source said.

Addressing journalists after the politburo meeting, Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo confirmed Chombo presented a report on the impending reorganisation of the party's administrative structures.

"Chombo gave a detailed expose on the proposed administrative reorganisation of our party headquarters and other institutions in various provinces where we need to ensure that everything is working to our expectations," Khaya Moyo said.

Zanu-PF insiders said the restructuring may result in several casualties in which long-serving members such as the party's director of administration Dickson Dzora would be reassigned or completely dropped.

"Dzora has always been loyal to Mutasa but he is also very close to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's faction so Chombo is in a dilemma," another Zanu-PF source said.

"Chombo will also purge all other provincial administrators because they are loyal to Dzora who has been in charge of the administrative structure for a long time," the source said adding: "All Chombo wants to do is to bring in those people who will be loyal to him."

The source also said the administrative structure of the party comes in handy during internal elections, as it was responsible for keeping the party records that can be used to influence the election processes.

"Chombo knows that keeping the same old members in the administrative structures is dangerous because they keep party records which come in handy whenever there are internal elections and can influence the result by for instance tampering with the voters roll."

"A good example is what happened in Mount Darwin where a Mujuru loyalist won the primary elections because those in charge were Mutasa's people," the source said.