Zanu-PF calls off politburo meeting due to infighting

There are reports that Zanu-PF call off a scheduled politburo meeting for the second time in a fortnight as the two dominant factions within the party differed sharply over the agenda for the indaba, FinGaz reported on Friday.

The meeting, which is expected to deliberate on the thorny issue of party primary elections could not be held last week because President Robert Mugabe - the human glue that keeps ZANU-PF from imploding - was out of the country on business. It was then moved to on Thursday, but it again failed to take off this week, signaling all is not well within the party.

ZANU-PF insiders said the party's leadership was sharply divided over the agenda for the meeting.

Hardliners within the party have been pushing for primary elections next month as a precursor to national elections immediately after the referendum on the new constitution scheduled for September. But their version of "the election roadmap" is strongly being resisted by moderates in ZANU-PF who believe national polls are only possible next year or in 2013.

Resultantly, the party's leadership is hesitant to call for the meeting of its supreme decision-making body when its members are in sixes and sevens. The plan for now is to try and reach consensus ahead of the crunch meeting to avoid ructions that could further weaken ZANU-PF.

But should the hardliners carry the day, ZANU-PF risks rubbing the Southern African Development Community the wrong way since the regional body is insisting on reforms prior any future elections.

SADC has the support of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations and the civic society which are all agitating for reforms ahead of future plebiscites.

The ZANU-PF old guard, which has for long maintained an octopus-like grip on the party's affairs, is also quacking in the boots after it emerged that the party's elections directorate, headed by Retired Air Marshal Henry Muchena, is planning to replace the old war horses with young turks as part of attempts to renew the party.

This emerged as reports suggested ZANU-PF's negotiators under the Global Political Agreement had capitulated to dem-ands by the combined MDC factions for electoral reforms first before the country could conduct national and local government elections.
Party secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, this week announced that on Thursday's politburo meeting had again been called off, but gave no reason.

 "I wish to advise members of the Politburo, National Consultative Assembly and Central Committee that there are no meetings this week and dates for the meetings will be announced in due course," Mutasa announced.

The meetings of the National Consultative Assembly and the Central Committee had been scheduled for today but they have also been called off, a party source said, indicating that the issue of primary elections, seen as an attempt to flush out the old guard, could eventually be sidelined.

Insiders said there are serious divisions in the party's top hierarchy, with the old guard opposed to early elections as they fear  a possible humiliating defeat while the young turks are anxious to get a bite of the cherry through expected changes meant to give them a chance for party leadership.

Simon Khaya Moyo, the ZANU-PF national chairperson, said he could not comment on the agenda of the meeting, referring all questions to Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, the party's spokesperson.

"I do not want to usurp the powers of our secretary for administration. He is the one who should talk about such issues or Cde Gumbo," said Moyo.

Efforts to get a comment from Gumbo were fruitless as he was said to be out of the country.