'Empowerment programmes dividing Zanu-PF'

Zanu-PF National Political Commissar Munyaradzi Machacha says recently suspended empowerment programmes had begun fuelling divisions within the ruling party, prompting the introduction of new guidelines to curb abuse and restore unity.

His remarks come amid simmering factional tensions in Manicaland province, where party leaders have reportedly clashed over the control and distribution of empowerment funds amid allegations of misuse and patronage.

The temporary halt to the programmes exposed widening cracks within provincial structures, leading the party leadership to intervene with what Machacha described as corrective measures.

He made the remarks during Buhera Central victory celebrations held at Dzapasi Assembly Point on Sunday, an event attended by thousands of supporters and graced by Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri as guest of honour.

Addressing the gathering, Machacha said the suspension was not a retreat from empowerment but a necessary step to safeguard party cohesion.

"We are creating good guidelines to do our empowerment programmes. We saw that instead of empowerment programmes uniting the party they were dividing the party and people were no longer seeing eye to eye," he said.

"If someone gets money those who do not have will not be happy and people are fighting because of money. We saw that if we continued to move the way we were doing we would be killing the party."

He added that a new framework was being prepared and that the programmes would resume once the revised guidelines were finalised.

"There is a new way which is being prepared. If we are done there are going to be announcement then we will resume our empowerment programmes.

"Empowerment did not start today. It started in Zanu-PF long ago in 1964 when Zanu-PF was starting to uplift communities."

Machacha maintained that the party's empowerment initiatives had produced millionaires, doctors and professors, and remain central to its mission of uplifting communities and expanding economic opportunities.

In Manicaland, internal divisions have intensified in recent weeks, with some empowerment initiatives reportedly linked to projects spearheaded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's investment adviser, Paul Tungwarara.

Provincial executive members are said to have clashed during a recent meeting over allegations that certain leaders were abusing funds intended for grassroots beneficiaries.

The developments highlight growing internal contestation within the ruling party as it seeks to manage both resource allocation and factional balance ahead of future political processes.