Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF ropes in security agents as factional wars escalate

THE ruling Zanu-PF party has reportedly roped in State security agents as it battles to quell the growing discontent among its members against party leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, amid deteriorating economic conditions and endemic corruption.

Disgruntled Zanu-PF members have taken to social media to express dissatisfaction over Mnangagwa through fake Press statements purported to have originated from within the party.

There has been an influx of Press statements circulating on social media purportedly from the Zanu-PF information department, with the authors expressing various grievances emanating from issues happening in the party.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said the issuance of fake Press statements was threatening to "go out of hand", adding that there was an "insidious" hand in their production.

A fake statement purported to be from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces also circulated on social media with theauthors complaining about rampant corruption among army bosses which they said started from the "top".

The latest fake statement dated February 21, castigates Zanu-PF Masvingo province members who mobilised for Mnangagwa's third term bid under the slogan, "2030 VaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo (Mnangagwa will still be in office by 2030)".

Dismissing the fake Press statement Charamba using his X handle @dhonzamusoro007 called on the security officers to swiftly hunt down the individual behind the statements so that they will "teach others a lesson".

"There has to be a legal and technical remedy to this tendency which threatens to go out of hand," Charamba said.

"There is some insidious hand on social media which forges or garbles statements for own political goals. We saw it with a recent Press release by the Zimbabwe Defence Force. It is repeated today. The law can be made quite quickly; technology is there to trace a post back to uploading miscreant. Our security structures must act pretty fast so just one case is made to teach the rest a lesson!!!!!," posted Charamba.

Charamba was not picking calls when NewsDay tried to contact him for comment.

But NewsDay is reliably informed that Mnangagwa's third term bid has reignited the factional fights between him and his deputy Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, with members aligned to the latter pushing for Mnangagwa to step down.

Some Zanu-PF members accused Mnangagwa of reneging on the agreement entered into prior to the November  2017 coup,  that ousted the late former President Robert Mugabe, that he would serve one term and hand over power to the former army general.

 But Zanu-PF director of information Farai Marapira said police would be seized with the matter to expose those issuing fake statements.

"On finding out who is behind the issue, I am sure the police will be seized with the matter," Marapira said.

"We have not yet made an official report on these particular ones (statements), but a series of disinformation messages have been reported so I am sure the police are going to find a way to start pushing for these investigations. In due course, we will file a police report."

Marapira distanced Zanu-PF members from the fake statements, but accused unnamed individuals of plotting to cause alarm and despondency in the party.

"Disinformation is an issue of concern and it has become a serious scourge," Marapira said.

"It is used to push false messages to cause alarm and despondency.  We do not believe that any normal Zanu-PF members would be behind those statements because Zanu-PF is a party with systems and guidelines.  If anyone has anything to say they are free to do so since we have so many foras for them to do so."