Zanu-PF calls for peaceful DCC campaigns

ZANU-PF Matabeleland North leadership has called for a peaceful campaign as the party prepares for the District Development Committee (DCC) elections.

The ruling party disbanded the DCCs in 2012 after it was felt they had been hijacked by elements that wanted to manipulate the party structures to foment factionalism and disharmony in the party.

The DCCs are making a return with elections set to be held soon.

The province held a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting which was presided over by Politburo members Cdes Angeline Masuku and Principal of Chitepo School of Ideology Munyaradzi Machacha at the party's Lupane offices on Sunday last week.

A total of 336 CVs were submitted for the 161 available positions in the seven districts in the province. Seven from Bubi, Nkayi, Tsholotsho and Umguza were disqualified for various reasons.

In Bubi Vusumuzi Ncube was disqualified from contesting the transport and welfare position because he is linked to opposition parties while Simelisizwe Sibanda was ruled out without a reason being given.

Lawrence Matshazi of Tsholotsho was ruled out because he contested the 2018 Harmonised elections on the MDC-T ticket in Tsholotsho South while Robert Rashirayi who wanted to be in the Youth Affairs was disqualified because of age.

The PCC also resolved to disqualify Gwemba Munetsi from Nkayi because of his links to Mr Aleck Nyakuwara who was expelled from the Youth League for being aligned to G40 and is now chairman for the People First Party.

In Umguza Kholwani Mbambo was disqualified from contesting for Secretary for Youth Affairs because of indiscipline emanating from the 2018 Harmonised elections where he allegedly kicked some ballot papers. Cdes Vwelenga Mugande of Binga and John Vumile Dube of Tsholotsho resigned from the Provincial Coordinating Committee to contest in the DCC chairmanship.

Owen Sibanda from Tsholotsho had been disqualified by the party's head office but the PCC resolved to allow him to contest as DCC chair after his district defended him. Provincial chairman Richard Moyo said prospective candidates can now start campaigning as the province waits for confirmation of election date and ballot papers.

"We sent names to Harare for vetting and they were brought back for verification which we did at the PCC yesterday. We have names that were disqualified for various reasons and the biggest thing is for one to be a paid-up member of the party. Others are not paid up hence they were removed because we want people who are fully paid up and loyal to the party.

"We have made our recommendations as a province and sent a final list and now we are now waiting for ballot papers and date for elections. This means members can now campaign but we want peaceful campaigns and elections. We don't want violence in Matabeleland North because we are a peaceful province. This is an internal process, we are not contesting opposition," said Moyo.

Machacha told the PCC members that the party needs to guard against infiltration by opposition including members of the G40 who may sponsor their members to destabilise the party.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Province has vetted names of aspiring members of the District Coordinating Committees (DCC's) for all seven districts which have been submitted to the party Head Office.

Speaking after a closed meeting where members of the Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) deliberated on names of potential DCC members, Commissioner on DCC elections for Matabeleland South Province Ambassador Zenzo Nsimbi said the process was to scrutinise the names of the applicants to ensure that they were fit to contest the elections.

"We are preparing for the DCC elections and as part of the process, the province was scrutinising the list of applicants," he said.

Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Provincial Chairman, Rabelani Choeni said as a PCC they were pleased with the outcome of the vetting process.