Cracks emerge in Zanu-PF leadership

CRACKS have started emerging in the Zanu-PF leadership structures in Mashonaland Central over the controversial resolution that seeks to challenge the party's one centre of power principle that empowers the party President and First Secretary to appoint his deputies.

Mafios, who is acting chairman of Mashonaland Central province, reportedly smuggled the resolution into the final basket of the provincial resolutions ahead of the Zanu-PF annual National People's Conference to be held in Masvingo next month.

Some members of the province have since disowned the centre of power resolution.

However, provincial members who exposed Mafios' plans were now reported to be targets for a vote of no confidence, which is allegedly being engineered by national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.

Kasukuwere is brother to Mafios.

Sensing the plot, which was supposed to be effected starting yesterday, the provincial members have decided to pre-empt the plan by resigning from the provincial executive.

The offence that the provincial members committed was to talk about Mafios' resolution to our Harare Bureau.

First to drop the gauntlet was Shantel Mbereko, who is the deputy secretary for education.

She tendered her resignation from her provincial position at the party's provincial offices in Bindura yesterday morning before the provincial executive meeting that was convened at the same venue later in the day.

In her resignation letter that was copied to Kasukuwere and secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo, Mbereko said she took the action as a result of "intense pressure" from Kasukuwere.

Mbereko said other party members told her that her life and that of her family was now in danger.

"The pressure resulted in me receiving numerous calls from people advising me to watch out for my life and that of my family and hence (I) decided to quit and remain a party card holder," reads part of her letter.

"The reason is I responded to a call from someone who I did not know was from the Herald. But the main issue is I honestly explained that the resolution to have Vice Presidents voted for did not come from the Women's League, but was smuggled in as it was against the amended party constitution, which gave all powers to the President.

"The second reason is that the national commissar Kasukuwere is victimising (me) — in fact he did that in the coordination (meeting) held on Sunday and even before, his intention being to grab the (Kitsiyatota) mining project I and other women own.

"He even openly stated it in the meeting that the mine should be taken away from us by force and made a provincial project."

Mbereko said Kasukuwere was not telling the truth using the name of the party as he wanted to grab the mine for personal benefit.

She declared that she would fight to the bitter end to expose the evil works by Kasukuwere under the name of the party in Mashonaland Central.

Mbereko claimed that Kasukuwere at one point instigated her arrest with the help of former Vice President Joice Mujuru over the Kitsiyatota Mine issue.

"This time, I am going to fight to the bitter end any attempts to take over our blocks by corrupt means and abusing ranks and positions," she said.

"I am prepared for a legal battle and I am already on my way to the highest office to divulge such corrupt activities in Mashonaland Central. I have already started compiling all the activities."

Mbereko said Kasukuwere was a national figure and it was mind boggling as to why he was obsessed with issues happening at provincial level.

She challenged why she was the only one being censored yet Mafios was the first to speak to our Harare Bureau over the matter.

"(Cde) Dickson Mafios was the first to respond to the Herald reporter when he stated: "One centre of power is not benefiting anyone and its undemocratic.

"The national political commissar pretends to be blind and deaf to that and decided to zero in on me, clearly showing that he had come to clear his brother by riding over us and myself in particular."

A provincial executive meeting that was meant to pass a vote of no confidence on Mbereko yesterday turned out to be a farce after she pre-empted it by her resignation.

Mafios denied that they had a meeting yesterday.

"I don't know about that meeting," he curtly said.

Efforts to get a comment from Kasukuwere were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.

A provincial member who attended the meeting said: "It became difficult to pass a vote of no confidence on the other comrades after Mbereko pre-emptied the plan. It was later resolved that the matter of people who spoke to the media over that resolution will be dealt with next year."