News / Local
G40 ghost haunts warring Zanu-PF
31 Oct 2021 at 07:14hrs | Views
Zanu-PF yesterday said the term G40 was being abused in the party's factional fights and restructuring exercise with losers resorting to accusing victors of being aligned to the group to block them from taking leadership positions.
G40 was a Zanu-PF faction that had links with the late former president Robert Mugabe, which in 2017 pushed then vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of the party before he seized power with the help of the military.
Mike Bimha, the acting Zanu-PF spokesperson, said the ruling party's annual conference that ended in Bindura yesterday addressed the G40 fears.
"Our colleagues must accept defeat and stop calling others G40 as a way of fighting back," Bimha told journalists in Bindura.
"The issue of G40 members was addressed long back and, therefore, we cannot continue to label those more successful than us G40 members and as the acting national political commissar Patrick Chinamasa put it, we must not give the devil what does not belong to him."
G40 comprised of former first lady Grace Mugabe and ex-ministers such as Saviour Kasukuwere, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao, and Walter Mzembi.
The majority of the faction's members were hounded out of the country by the military and police.
Bimha said Mnangagwa rejected a proposal that he must make all senior appointments in the party to stop worsening factionalism.
"There was a proposal that to reduce jockeying for positions, we should have the chairperson appointed by leadership. This was rejected because the president said there was no room for imposition of candidates in our party," he said.
The move was seen as a desperate attempt to avoid embarrassing and violent clashes that characterised the restructuring exercise in districts and provinces.
Zanu-PF was forced to postpone provincial elections until after the conference as they were dividing the party and threatening to tear it apart.
The conference also endorsed Mnangagwa as the Zanu-PF presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
There were reports that a faction linked to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is against Mnangagwa running for a second term.
G40 was a Zanu-PF faction that had links with the late former president Robert Mugabe, which in 2017 pushed then vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of the party before he seized power with the help of the military.
Mike Bimha, the acting Zanu-PF spokesperson, said the ruling party's annual conference that ended in Bindura yesterday addressed the G40 fears.
"Our colleagues must accept defeat and stop calling others G40 as a way of fighting back," Bimha told journalists in Bindura.
"The issue of G40 members was addressed long back and, therefore, we cannot continue to label those more successful than us G40 members and as the acting national political commissar Patrick Chinamasa put it, we must not give the devil what does not belong to him."
G40 comprised of former first lady Grace Mugabe and ex-ministers such as Saviour Kasukuwere, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao, and Walter Mzembi.
Bimha said Mnangagwa rejected a proposal that he must make all senior appointments in the party to stop worsening factionalism.
"There was a proposal that to reduce jockeying for positions, we should have the chairperson appointed by leadership. This was rejected because the president said there was no room for imposition of candidates in our party," he said.
The move was seen as a desperate attempt to avoid embarrassing and violent clashes that characterised the restructuring exercise in districts and provinces.
Zanu-PF was forced to postpone provincial elections until after the conference as they were dividing the party and threatening to tear it apart.
The conference also endorsed Mnangagwa as the Zanu-PF presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
There were reports that a faction linked to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is against Mnangagwa running for a second term.
Source - The Standard
