Nkomo faces challenge for Zapu presidency

ZAPU has announced that its elective congress will be held in Gweru in December, setting the stage for what party officials are describing as a potentially bruising battle for the presidency as incumbent leader Sibangilizwe Nkomo seeks a second term at the helm of the former liberation movement.

Party secretary-general Mthulisi Hanana confirmed that preparations for the congress were underway, with the final dates expected to be announced before the end of the month.

"The congress will be held in December in Gweru, though the actual date is yet to be finalised. But I am sure by the end of the month everything will be finalised," Hanana said.

The congress is expected to be one of the most closely watched events in the party's recent history, with growing indications of an intense contest for the leadership.

"It is going to be a blockbuster congress because there is a serious push to replace the current president, Nkomo, and he is also defending his territory," Hanana said.

Nkomo, who took over the party leadership at the 2021 congress, is expected to face a challenge from Australia-based medical doctor Bekithemba Bulle. Midlands politician Bernard Magugu has also emerged as a potential contender for the party's top post.

The leadership race comes at a critical time for ZAPU, which has spent the past several years grappling with internal divisions that emerged following its 2021 elective congress in Bulawayo.

Nkomo's election at that gathering triggered a period of instability marked by legal disputes, disciplinary proceedings and factional tensions that exposed deep cracks within the organisation.

The fallout resulted in the expulsion and departure of several senior members, raising questions about the party's cohesion and long-term direction.

Political analysts believe the December congress will serve as a defining moment for the party, testing its ability to overcome internal disagreements and reposition itself within Zimbabwe's increasingly competitive opposition landscape.

In a candid reflection on his own future within the organisation, Hanana suggested that he may not seek another leadership role.

"As for me, I think I will be standing down. I no longer believe in the ZAPU project to be president—I don't think they can deliver in the way that we expect. If I stay, I think I will always be on a collision course with them," he said.

Despite the looming leadership contest, party officials say plans are underway to make the congress a major political event with regional significance.

"We are hoping to invite regional former presidents and there is going to be a gala dinner. We will, however, provide more details of the event. At the moment we are still planning," Hanana said.

The congress will also provide an opportunity for delegates to assess the party's progress since its revival in 2008, when the late liberation war commander and former intelligence chief, Dumiso Dabengwa, led a breakaway from ZANU-PF to re-establish ZAPU as an independent political force.

Dabengwa, who remained a central figure in the party until his death in 2019, was widely credited with rebuilding ZAPU's structures and restoring its political identity after years of absorption into ZANU-PF following the Unity Accord of 1987.

As delegates prepare to converge in Gweru later this year, attention is expected to focus not only on who emerges victorious in the leadership race, but also on whether the party can finally put years of internal conflict behind it and chart a united path forward.