Blow for Chiwenga?

In what seems to be a big blow for Vice President Constantino Chiwenga's presidential ambitions, Masvingo province has endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the sole Zanu-PF presidential candidate ahead of the elective congress scheduled for this year.

Zanu-PF is reported to be factionally divided with one faction siding with Vice President Chiwenga while the other one is loyal to President Mnangagwa.

In Masvingo, the two warring factions are fronted by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution and former provincial chairperson Ezra Chadzamira and the current chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa.

The factional battle between the two local leaders started early last year ahead of the Provincial Executive Committee elections when Mavhenyengwa challenged Chadzamira and went on to win the chairpersonship.

All intra-party elections in the province are now being contested along the two factions with the recent Central Committee elections having been dominated by Mavhenyengwa loyalists.

During the provincial inter-district meeting held at Masvingo Teachers College on Masvingo province on October 20 resolved that Mnangagwa will not be contested at congress.

"Masvingo unanimously nominates Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa as the sole candidate for Presidency and First Secretary of the party, Zanu-PF at the 7th National People's Congress.

"Masvingo province reaffirms its unwavering support for His Excellency the President and First Secretary of the Party, Zanu-PF CDE Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa as the sole presidential candidate for the 2023 harmonised elections," read the resolution.

Though both Chadzamira and Mavhenyengwa preach unity and parade Masvingo as a united front, the province also resolved that the party introduce stern measures against perpetrators of factionalism among other things.

"The party should set deterrent penalties for perpetrators of factionalism and other vices that seek to advance individual interests at the expense of party's rules and regulations and that party and government adopt zero tolerance to corruption," added another resolution.

Speaking at the event, Chadzamira urged people to unite and bury their differences as they approach 2023 saying their common goal was to win the elections.

Chadzamira went on to say for them to fight, they should be in power first and implored people to unite then fight after winning the elections.

"There is no home without fights but for now we have to win first as Zanu-PF so that we can have fights, we cannot fight when we are not in power," said Chadzamira.

He went on to ‘warn' party leadership against some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) which he said are driving regime change agenda saying government was fast tracking the Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) bill, which will allow them to deregister those purported to be anti-government.

The battle for control of Zanu-PF continues to hog the limelight especially at a point in time when the party braces for the elective congress with the party's number two reportedly harbouring presidential ambitions after he resuscitated Mnangagwa's political career following his demise at the hands of former President, the late Robert Mugabe.