Provincial youth chair likens self to Mnangagwa

Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial youth chairperson Tawanda Mukodza was last week heckled after trying to respond to questions of his legitimacy by drawing parallels with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's leadership - suggesting that he too had not been voted into office.

The Makoni intra-district meeting was reduced to a shouting match with irate youths claiming the nation had voted him into power by packing Zimbabwe grounds and flooding the streets of Harare in the protests that led to former president Robert Mugabe's resignation.

Youths had questioned where Mukodza, who was deposed years ago in the face of alleged mismanagement of donations for the 21st February Movement, had emerged from to assume the post as fissures begin to emerge once more in the ruling party.

In an audio recording of the meeting, enraged youths can be heard shouting that he was not on an equal pedestal with the president.

"The president was voted into office! People voted with their feet! We went to Harare for that!" youths would shout back during Mukodza's presentation.

The disgruntlement surrounds the supposed sidelining of youths who took great risk in frustrating attempts to push out then vice president Mnangagwa out of the party.

Mukodza was handed back the post at a special provincial coordination committee meeting held to recall Mugabe and reinstate Mnangagwa into the party and to assume leadership of the party last November.

Both decisions were ratified by the central committee before being approved by the extra-ordinary Zanu-PF congress in December.

This, however, comes as factions re-emerge to haunt Zanu-PF with civilians and retired soldiers tussling for control of the party.

The retirement and placement of top military chiefs in strategic positions following the military intervention — Operation Restore Legacy that led to the retirement of former president Robert Mugabe, has the civilians who have been in charge of the party since independence concerned that they are being crowded out.

There is, however, no unanimity to the complaints as war veterans - who are part of the military wing of the party as they also represent most of the senior military personnel is divided on the placement of retired soldiers into key posts.