Zanu PF faces new factional wars

Zanu PF's newly appointed political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday dissolved the party's Mashonaland East interim provincial executive as infighting in the revolutionary party takes a new and intriguing turn.

Kasukuwere immediately appointed a new interim 15-member team headed by former education minister Aenes Chigwedere.

Chigwerdere's team becomes the third executive to run the affairs of the party in the province after the ouster of Ray Kaukonde's executive at the instigation of First Lady Grace Mugabe late last year.

A new team that replaced Kaukonde's executive was replaced when Mugabe ordered fresh polls following claims the team that attended the congress comprised lots of Kaukonde allies.The new polls brought in the Pheneas Chihota's executive that was intriguingly removed by Kasukuwere yesterday.

Although Kasukuwere was not picking calls last night,The Standard is reliably informed that he dissolved all the three provincial structures and appointed an interim executive in the main wing, women's and youth leagues that will run the affairs of the province until fresh provincial elections are held in April.

"Yes, Cde Kasukuwere has appointed a new executive. It will be led by Chigwedere and Joe Biggy Matiza. The provincial affairs minister will be his deputy," said a source last night."

The move was necessitated by the fact that there were three centres of power in the province where Chihota claimed to be in charge while Shadreck Makome, from the war veterans' wing and another war veteran, Philemon Mutongi, who lost to Kaukonde in 2013 provincial elections, all claimed to be in charge.

"On the women's league side, one only identified as Munzverengi was appointed provincial chair and will be deputised by University of Zimbabwe lecturer Charity Manyeruke, while another official only identified as Maimba was appointed provincial youth chair.Mashonaland East had been notorious for its resistance to Grace's whims.

At her rally in Marondera's Rudhaka Stadium late last year, drum beating youth interrupted her address demanding that the slogan, Pasi neGammatox be renounced.While Matiza was on a provincial tour last week, he was challenged in Marondera by Motongi and other party members to explained where he got the authority to call meetings with senior party members when he was not in the party structures.

"Matiza is Mugabe's appointee and when he is resisted like that, it speaks volumes about the state of affairs in the party," another source said yesterday.

Kasukuwere is expected to go around the country provinces to revamp party structures following a turbulent period that saw all party officials allegedly linked to former Vice President Joice Mujuru being kicked out of positions.

A source said the party is likely to hold fresh provincial elections in April to put in place substantive structures that will replace existing interim executives.