Power hungry DCC members causing chaos in Zanu-PF, says Matemadanda

THE newly-elected Zanu-PF district coordination committees (DCCs) countrywide have become battlefields for power-hungry members who are fanning divisions in order to ascend to senior leadership positions in influential party organs.

Zanu-PF national political commissar, Victor Matemadanda confirmed self-anointed demigods and divisive elements were causing chaos in the party in a bid to oust their political foes and attain senior positions in the provincial coordinating committees (PCCs), Central Committee, National Consultative Assembly and the Politburo.

Matemadanda, who was addressing the Mashonaland West provincial coordinating committee meeting in Chinhoyi Saturday convened to introduce executives of the recently-constituted DCC, warned members bent on fomenting divisions that they risked stern disciplinary action.

"We are emerging from DCC elections and there are people who think they are now bigger than the party and can create laws, think they can do whatever they want because they have now been voted into DCCs," he said.

"Don't let yourself fight Zanu-PF laws. Right now there are some overzealous DCC members rushing to suspend (provincial) chairpersons, they have become a law unto themselves. I don't know where they are getting this," said Matemadanda.

Elections for new Zanu-PF DCC members were conducted last year amid accusations of rigging, vote buying and violence in some districts.

He added political gamesmanship had already reached fever pitch as DCC members position themselves for higher offices.

"Some are already in campaign mode. They are de-campaigning sitting MPs, provincial or even Politburo members just because they are now in the DCC."

The political commissar said the chaos ensuing in grassroots party structures gave an impression the recently-constituted district organs were superior to all other Zanu-PF organs.

"Zanu-PF DCCs do not wield power and authority to sit as disciplinary committees neither can they suspend any party member, but only have the duty to coordinate party activities and programmes," said Matemadanda.

"Some DCC members were targeting their political opponents for suspension or expulsion which is not acceptable.

"Take this as a warning, I am saying it today that from now onwards any DCC member that moves around threatening others that they will expel you or whatever, I want that person so victimised, where possible, to record that person and send that to the commissariat, the security department and national chairman. We want to start removing people who assumed power by default," a visibly annoyed Matemadanda said.

The Zanu-PF political commissar, who is also the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association secretary-general, and Deputy Defence Minister, said indiscipline that has crept within the DCCs characterised by shenanigans like name-dropping and social media mudslinging amongst Zanu-PF members needed to be stemmed.

He said should the DCCs continue to cause headaches the commissariat department will approach the Politburo to have them disbanded again as was done in 2014.

The DCC were disbanded in 2014 by the now President Robert Mugabe on charges they were causing serious factional divisions in the ruling party.

Matemadanda said Zanu-PF would not tolerate indiscipline within its ranks as it guns to mobilise five million votes ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.

"We have a five million target for the president and the party and we cannot sacrifice that because of a DCC member who decides to be undisciplined and goes around chasing away people when we want to be mobilising."