Chamisa's MDC allocates posts to ex-G40 cadres

FORMER members of the deposed Generation 40 (G40) faction have secured positions in the opposition MDC party's Harare provincial executive. G40 is a Zanu-PF faction that worked tirelessly to secure former president Robert Mugabe's political interests before it was vanquished in November 2017 when the military forced the former ruling party strongman to resign.

Following Mugabe's forced resignation, G40 members were purged from Zanu-PF, with some of its prominent members – among them Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao – going into self-imposed exile.

In an interesting development, two ex-G40 members Shadreck Mashayamombe and Jappy Jaboon were both appointed into Harare MDC provincial structures recently.

Mashayamombe who is former Zanu-PF Harare province secretary for commissariat is now secretary for mobilisation committee in the MDC while Jaboon who was the ruling party's Masvingo province secretary for commissariat is now secretary for strategic projects (intelligence committee).

Their appointments have not gone down well with some critics, who argue that it violates the party's constitution. For anyone to assume a position in the party, they must have served at grassroots level for more than five years. Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said that constitutional provision does not apply because Mashayamombe and Jaboon are coming in as alliance partners.

"They are coming in as alliance partners, remember they were candidates for MDC in last year's harmonised election and if they were good enough to sit in Parliament representing MDC they are also good enough to be in structures," Mafume said.

Mashayamombe was the MDC Alliance candidate for Harare South while Jaboon was the opposition candidate for Bikita south in last year's harmonised election and both of them lost to Zanu-PF.

G40 faction emerged in late 2014 when former first lady Grace Mugabe engineered the dramatic fall of former vice president Joice Mujuru, along with her cabal collectively known as the Mujuru faction, from Zanu-PF and government.

Between 2014 and mid-November 2017, G40 fought a nasty succession battle with then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa's Team Lacoste faction, which abruptly ended after the military swooped on its functionaries under the guise of restoring "Mugabe's legacy".

Before the military intervention on November 14, 2017, Team Lacoste had been emasculated, with its front man, Mnangagwa, having skipped the country's borders into self-imposed exile in South Africa after he was summarily expelled from Zanu-PF and government. He was to bounce back dramatically two weeks later to lead Zanu-PF and government, with the help of the army, which pressured Mugabe to resign.

Since their estrangement, the former Zanu-PF elites have not been hiding their intention to fight Mnangagwa After ousting Mugabe in a coup, Mnangagwa and his allies have been culling the ruling party of all elements that were linked to the G40 faction led by former first lady Grace.

Mnangagwa's raft of changes have also permeated to government departments including the police and the Central Intelligence Organisation where those regarded as sympathetic to the old order are being sidelined, transferred or retired.