Opinion / Columnist
ZAPU in flames as factions outfox each other
12 Mar 2017 at 20:05hrs | Views
ZAPU's factional wars over Dabengwa's leadership went a gear up yesterday as factions went on overdrive to outdo each other as Bulawayo elections were postponed at the eleventh hour on Friday 10 March. The provincial elections were scheduled for Saturday 11 March 2017 following the November dissolution of the substantive province for gross incompetence.
It is however alleged that the reason for the dissolution was the province's allegiance to party Secretary General Strike Mkandla who has ambitions to replace party President Dumiso Dabengwa before congress in 2020.
Highly placed inside sources have revealed to this publication that the postponement of the elections yesterday was at the behest of the Milleniads faction who sprung into action after smelling defeat by the Floor Polish group of Mkandla's. It is alleged that the later had maneuvered around the delegates' lists from districts, where all Milleniads were removed from the lists and replaced by those aligned to them, undoing what the district conferences had agreed on.
After sensing defeat, it is alleged that Milleniads leader Iphithule Maphosa manipulated the national organizing department, whose members are alleged to be aligned to the Milleniads group to postpone the elections, which districts complied with without resistance. It is further alleged that Maphosa also used his influence to solicit for support from all important organs of the party such as the President, the National Chairman and the whole National Executive Committee. It is popular belief within ZAPU that the Milleniads have support of the whole national executive save for the Secretary General and his wife who also is a national executive member.
Sources say the National Organizing Committee, without question complied with Maphosa's order to postpone the election only to realize afterwards that the real reason was that his faction, which has no funding at all had failed to match up with the Floor Polish group who are heavily funded and had adequately co coordinated and lobbied districts for Victor Nhliziyo to take over the chairmanship. Nhliziyo is former secretary of Bulawayo Province and is at the centre of all the problems in the beleaguered province of the party.
The Milleniads are said to be fearful of a Bulawayo province that is under the leadership of Nhliziyo whom they have accused of numerous offences but at the protection of the SG has evaded disciplinary action. A number of complaints have been raised against Nhliziyo ranging from ill discipline to subversion with no action being taken against him. Our sources say the accusations could be as a result of power struggles and the fact that Nhliziyo is SG Mkandla's marksman in the war to succeed Dabengwa.
According to sources, all Bulawayo district chairpersons were each summoned to Maphosa's office where. Together with the national organizing department assessed the Milleniads chances of winning the Saturday scheduled poll. We are reliably informed that by the end of day on Friday, the Milleniads were staring defeat after realizing that most of the delegates aligned to their faction had been removed and replaced in almost all districts except a few. This is alleged to have caused panic in the broke faction and the only way to redemption was blocking the elections and get some breathing space.
The postponement of the elections is said to have been received with mixed feeling ranging to shock to anger among the ZAPU ranks. The Floor Polish group is said to be very angry and fuming at the decision and have vowed to crush the opposite faction. Anger was also fueled by the absence of Deputy Organizing Secretary Ndodana Moyo at the meeting he called this Saturday afternoon, said the sources who said he chose to attend a public meeting in Maphisa. Maphosa was also absent at the meeting despite him being a national representative of the province.
Efforts to get comments from Secretary General were in vain as his phone went unanswered while Maphosa's was out of reach by the time of publication.
It is however alleged that the reason for the dissolution was the province's allegiance to party Secretary General Strike Mkandla who has ambitions to replace party President Dumiso Dabengwa before congress in 2020.
Highly placed inside sources have revealed to this publication that the postponement of the elections yesterday was at the behest of the Milleniads faction who sprung into action after smelling defeat by the Floor Polish group of Mkandla's. It is alleged that the later had maneuvered around the delegates' lists from districts, where all Milleniads were removed from the lists and replaced by those aligned to them, undoing what the district conferences had agreed on.
After sensing defeat, it is alleged that Milleniads leader Iphithule Maphosa manipulated the national organizing department, whose members are alleged to be aligned to the Milleniads group to postpone the elections, which districts complied with without resistance. It is further alleged that Maphosa also used his influence to solicit for support from all important organs of the party such as the President, the National Chairman and the whole National Executive Committee. It is popular belief within ZAPU that the Milleniads have support of the whole national executive save for the Secretary General and his wife who also is a national executive member.
Sources say the National Organizing Committee, without question complied with Maphosa's order to postpone the election only to realize afterwards that the real reason was that his faction, which has no funding at all had failed to match up with the Floor Polish group who are heavily funded and had adequately co coordinated and lobbied districts for Victor Nhliziyo to take over the chairmanship. Nhliziyo is former secretary of Bulawayo Province and is at the centre of all the problems in the beleaguered province of the party.
The Milleniads are said to be fearful of a Bulawayo province that is under the leadership of Nhliziyo whom they have accused of numerous offences but at the protection of the SG has evaded disciplinary action. A number of complaints have been raised against Nhliziyo ranging from ill discipline to subversion with no action being taken against him. Our sources say the accusations could be as a result of power struggles and the fact that Nhliziyo is SG Mkandla's marksman in the war to succeed Dabengwa.
According to sources, all Bulawayo district chairpersons were each summoned to Maphosa's office where. Together with the national organizing department assessed the Milleniads chances of winning the Saturday scheduled poll. We are reliably informed that by the end of day on Friday, the Milleniads were staring defeat after realizing that most of the delegates aligned to their faction had been removed and replaced in almost all districts except a few. This is alleged to have caused panic in the broke faction and the only way to redemption was blocking the elections and get some breathing space.
The postponement of the elections is said to have been received with mixed feeling ranging to shock to anger among the ZAPU ranks. The Floor Polish group is said to be very angry and fuming at the decision and have vowed to crush the opposite faction. Anger was also fueled by the absence of Deputy Organizing Secretary Ndodana Moyo at the meeting he called this Saturday afternoon, said the sources who said he chose to attend a public meeting in Maphisa. Maphosa was also absent at the meeting despite him being a national representative of the province.
Efforts to get comments from Secretary General were in vain as his phone went unanswered while Maphosa's was out of reach by the time of publication.
Source - Sithuli Ndaba
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