Zanu-PF probes chairman for trying to manipulate party structures

Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central acting provincial chair Dickson Mafios could soon appear before a disciplinary committee for trying to manipulate party structures to challenge the national leadership, our Harare Bureau has established.

Party members who continue to attack their superiors on social media will also be brought to account for defying Zanu-PF President and First Secretary Mugabe's directive against such action.

A probe into Mafios' conduct is already underway, with the provincial executive meeting in Bindura today to review its recent inter-district conference and other key issues.

At a conference held on November 19, 2016, Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central district and provincial executive members met to formulate positions around various matters ahead of the party's 16th Annual National People's Conference in Masvingo this December.

After the interface, Mafios announced that his executive had resolved that the party's two Vice-Presidents must be elected, not appointed by the President.

He said the provincial conference also wanted one of the VPs to be female. It, however, later emerged that the resolutions had not come from conference, but were Mafios' own thinking.

The acting provincial chair has however, stuck to this position, even as members of his executive continue to distance themselves from his flagrant attempt to challenge President Mugabe's status as Zanu-PF's centre of power.

On Thursday, Zanu-PF Politburo member and Higher Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo defended Mafios via social media, saying the two VPs should not be appointed.

In an interview with our Harare Bureau, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo said disciplinary action was likely to visit Mafios and social media abusers.

"We have received the resolution and are looking at it. Indiscipline within the party will be dealt with. It's totally unacceptable and we have structures within the party (to deal with it). We have the National Disciplinary Committee to deal with such issues and it will certainly deal with the matter. If anyone is not happy with the committee's decision, the Appeals Committee chaired by Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko is there. We want unity in the party under one centre of power, which is led by President Mugabe."

Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central secretary for administration Wonder Mashange confirmed that the province will be meeting.

"We will be meeting as a province to review last week's provincial inter-district conference, among other issues which will be raised by members," he said.

Asked if Mafios' case is on the agenda, he said, "The meeting is on tomorrow (today) and those issues will be dealt with.

We will definitely discuss everything."

Dr Chombo said party members who trade attacks on social media platforms are defying the

President and disciplinary action will be taken.

"The President has, on several occasions, emphasised that party members should not take to social media to discuss internal matters or to denigrate each other. All those who continue to do that will be dealt with in line with the party's rules and regulations. If party members continue to do that, they are defying the President."

In 2014, Zanu-PF amended its constitution, giving President Mugabe powers to appoint his deputies and Politburo members as part of measures to stem factionalism. Divisions spurred by former Vice-President Dr Joice Mujuru and her cabal along factional lines had seen some characters emerge as "centres of power".

As such, the party's structural realignment that involved the cabal's expulsion brought the imperative of vesting appointing authority in the President and First Secretary.

Zanu-PF's Women League deputy secretary Eunice Sandi Moyo said it is important for the women's wing to set the record straight as people were distorting their resolutions.

"Our resolution on more representation has been misinterpreted. We want the party constitution to be ammended eventually so that in 2019, we can be able to have one female VP in place through a quota system," she said.