News / National
Mnangagwa allies, G40 in massive collision
13 Apr 2016 at 13:40hrs | Views
Another political battle of monumental proportions is in the offing when brawling Zanu-PF factions square up against each other in the restive Midlands province tomorrow.
This much became clear yesterday after Team Lacoste, the party faction loyal to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, vowed to attend a regional meeting that is scheduled to be chaired by national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, despite the fact that many of them are on suspension.
Zanu-PF is currently split between two main camps - Team Lacoste and a group of ambitious Young Turks who go by the name Generation 40 (G40).
The two enemy camps now run parallel party structures in the troubled province, amid growing fears that tomorrow's meeting could degenerate into chaos and violence as both factions vow to take the war to the other side.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily News yesterday, Team Lacoste kingpin and interim provincial leader Daniel Mackenzie-Ncube confirmed that he would definitely be attending the meeting to lay his case before Kasukuwere.
"I will be going there to meet the political commissar. I don't have any personal vendetta with the PC kana zviri zvou chairperson tozozviona ikoko (if it is about who is the chairperson we will see about it at the meeting)," he said.
There were also fears among the G40 rank and file last night that Kasukuwere could walk into a deadly ambush, after Mnangagwa's allies made it abundantly clear that they wanted the Local Government minister removed from his party position.
On the other hand, the G40-linked acting provincial chairperson, Tapiwa Matangaidze, said he would be attending the meeting as the regional chairperson, stressing that he had not imposed himself on the party.
"We are going to attend the political commissar's meeting. We always comply with the decisions which come from national members," Matangaidze said.
In the past few weeks, the two warring factions have held separate provincial co-ordinating committee meetings — a development that prompted President Robert Mugabe to dispatch Kasukuwere to the province.
In the meantime, dozens of Mnangagwa's top allies, including Zanu-PF deputy secretary for administration July Moyo, have also been suspended from the party on allegations of fanning factionalism and running parallel structures.
This much became clear yesterday after Team Lacoste, the party faction loyal to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, vowed to attend a regional meeting that is scheduled to be chaired by national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, despite the fact that many of them are on suspension.
Zanu-PF is currently split between two main camps - Team Lacoste and a group of ambitious Young Turks who go by the name Generation 40 (G40).
The two enemy camps now run parallel party structures in the troubled province, amid growing fears that tomorrow's meeting could degenerate into chaos and violence as both factions vow to take the war to the other side.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily News yesterday, Team Lacoste kingpin and interim provincial leader Daniel Mackenzie-Ncube confirmed that he would definitely be attending the meeting to lay his case before Kasukuwere.
"I will be going there to meet the political commissar. I don't have any personal vendetta with the PC kana zviri zvou chairperson tozozviona ikoko (if it is about who is the chairperson we will see about it at the meeting)," he said.
There were also fears among the G40 rank and file last night that Kasukuwere could walk into a deadly ambush, after Mnangagwa's allies made it abundantly clear that they wanted the Local Government minister removed from his party position.
On the other hand, the G40-linked acting provincial chairperson, Tapiwa Matangaidze, said he would be attending the meeting as the regional chairperson, stressing that he had not imposed himself on the party.
"We are going to attend the political commissar's meeting. We always comply with the decisions which come from national members," Matangaidze said.
In the past few weeks, the two warring factions have held separate provincial co-ordinating committee meetings — a development that prompted President Robert Mugabe to dispatch Kasukuwere to the province.
In the meantime, dozens of Mnangagwa's top allies, including Zanu-PF deputy secretary for administration July Moyo, have also been suspended from the party on allegations of fanning factionalism and running parallel structures.
Source - dailynews
