Mugabe plays Zanu-PF factions against each other

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has allegedly manipulated Zanu-PF's warring factions by playing them against each other after he appointed Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and secretary for legal affairs, Patrick Chinamasa to draft the appeals' procedure to facilitate reviewing cases of members suspended and expelled by rival G40 faction led by First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Most of the aggrieved party members belonged to Mnangagwa's Team Lacoste faction who were booted out of the party on allegations of fanning factionalism.

The suspended members had claimed that they were unlikely to get a fair hearing from an appeals panel led by Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, an alleged G40 functionary.
 
"There is now hope with Cde Mnangagwa and Cde Chinamasa tasked to draft the procedure and guidelines to be followed by the appeal's committee. It would be difficult for pre-determined decisions to be made as verdicts will have to be in tandem with the set guidelines," a committee member sympathetic to the Mnangagwa camp said.

"We were told that when the guidelines are ready, then the appeal process will commence looking at each case varying it with the guidelines set. Then a report should be presented to the politburo and subsequently the central committee for approval."

But Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo professed ignorance over the matter referring all questions to Chinamasa.

"All legal matters are handled by the secretary for legal affairs (Chinamasa) so you can talk to him. I don't know when the committee will start their work as you may be aware, I am not one of them," Moyo said.

Yesterday, Chinamasa was unreachable for comment as he was said to be attending African Development Bank meetings in Zambia.