Zanu-PF constitution making officials threaten to beat each other

AS the constitution-making process reaches a critical stage, temperatures have also risen amongst those charged with writing Zimbabwe's supreme law.

Tempers flared, resulting in a serious clash between the Zanu-PF Select Committee of Parliament on the New Constitution (Copac) co-chair, Paul Mangwana, and a member of the Zanu-PF Select Committee member and chairperson of the Stakeholders' Committee, Edward Chindori-Chininga, last week over allegations of a leaked document to the MDC-T.

The clash is believed to be behind Chindori-Chininga's Thursday dismissal from Copac.

Zanu-PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa signed the terse letter of dismissal to Chindori-Chininga with instructions that he report to his office for a briefing.

A fuming Chindori-Chininga told The Sunday Mail yesterday that he was equally surprised with the action.

"After the clash with Mangwana, if there was anyone to be suspended, it would have to be both of us.

"Yes, I lost my temper, but Mangwana has been pushing me too hard against the wall. I never saw the document in dispute because I haven't been attending our caucus meeting due to other commitments.

"I told him, ini ndakasiyana nana . . . ndinokurova! (I am different from . . . I will beat you up!)

"It took Minister (Olivia) Muchena and others to restrain us. He has not only clashed with me from the Zanu-PF side of Copac," charged Chindori-Chininga.

He charged that he had earlier complained to the party leadership that Mangwana be reined in as his negotiations with co-chair Mwonzora would likely be costly to Zanu-PF.

Chindori-Chininga accused the Zanu-PF co-chairman of negotiating with MDC-T co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora while drunk, resulting in their party losing some strategic arguments during negotiations.

But Mangwana dismissed that, saying  his mandate as chairman allowed him to negotiate with his co-chairpersons.

"My mandate as chairperson of the Zanu-PF component of Copac is to negotiate with other co-chairs until we reach an agreement, which we then present to the other members.

"The 25 of us can't always be discussing on the way forward. This is done by the chairs. I can confirm Chindori-Chininga threatened to beat me, but I can't comment because the matter is being handled by our party leadership," said Mangwana.

Chindori-Chininga also accused his co-chair of misleading both the Zanu-PF central committee and Politburo on the progress made in Copac.

"He (Mangwana) told the Politburo that drafting of the constitution would start on September 15.

"But today the select committee is still working on the pre-drafting stage where methodology, principle of the constitution and framework are being negotiated and yet the nation depends on such information to take the next step in implementing the GPA," said Chindori-Chininga.

Mangwana said pre-drafting was the same as drafting.

"Copac is actually drafting the constitution now. We are discussing the methodology and the principles, and that for me is drafting," he told The Sunday Mail.