Zanu-PF Midlands bigwigs clash

ZANU-PF heavyweights in Midlands have clashed over the composition of the provincial executive amid allegations that national leaders had clandestinely imposed their proxies.

Sources who spoke to our Harare Bureau accused party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, national commissar Webster Shamu and provincial chairperson  Jaison Machaya of unilaterally removing names of officials who had been elected at the December 9, 2013 provincial polls.

This, they said, was in breach of a Politburo decision that only four members were to be co-opted.

Gumbo refuted the allegations.

"The last Politburo meeting resolved that the Midlands provincial structure be re-instated fully and that the province co-opts four people  who contested the elections and lost before abandoning  the election venue," said one source.

"Those four are (Cdes) Chiratidzo Mabuwa (Mberengwa South), Fred Moyo (Zvishavane-Runde), Madona Nyoni (Zvishavane-Ngezi) and Tafanana Zhou (Mberengwa North). But surprisingly since the Politburo decision, Gumbo, Shamu and Machaya have held several meetings and decided to subvert the Politburo directive by trying to increase the number of people to be co-opted.

"We are aware that this is a strategy to cause chaos in Midlands so that the current executive can be suspended, creating room for appointment of an interim one to take the province to congress without the current members who are presumed not to be supportive of  Machaya."

Another source added: "They removed 11 elected people and replaced them with 10 officials who lost the elections on top of the four who were approved by the Politburo.

"They did that without consulting the province which is a clear defiance of the President's instruction that Politburo members must not interfere with provincial operations and also blatant disregard of the Politburo decision. We understand Gumbo sought to doctor the Politburo minutes to change the number of people from four to 16."

The sources said some of the names that were removed despite winning the elections include Emmanuel Fundira, Vimbai Chirindo, Christopher Gwatidzo, Bongani Sibanda, Simba Mutukwa and Cornelious Mupereri.

Those added despite losing, sources said, include Lovemore Mupukuta, Zifungo Dzingirai and Fredy Mukwenya. Gumbo dismissed the claims saying the list was drawn from the people who were already in the committee when the December 9, 2013 provincial elections were conducted.

"The Politburo said it would be guided by Olivia Muchena's report because she is the one who conducted the elections," he said. "They said it was then up to the provincial chairperson (Machaya) and national commissar (Shamu) to distribute posts.

"The position was clear that the December 9, 2013 elections were not valid. The decision by Muchena was the determining factor. That was our understanding. I don't have the power to change names. All I did was to interpret what I knew the Politburo had said.

"Esau Mupfumi's report was not considered because instead of choosing people in the basket, he was forced to choose people who were not in the basket.

"There was an argument in the Politburo that we should only co-opt four people, but the Politburo said no because we were guided by Muchena's report."