Chaos at Zanu-PF meeting

CHAOS reigned supreme during a Zanu-PF special co-ordination committee held in Mutare yesterday, with a Cabinet Minister's aide manhandling an executive member of the youth committee as tempers flared.

The contentious issue was the vote of no confidence that was recently passed on Manicaland provincial women's league chairperson, Happiness Nyakuedzwa, which was later reversed by some members of the same league.

Although the issue was not on the agenda, it was brought up by a section of the women's league.

Nyakuedzwa was accused of disrespecting and undermining national women's league chairperson and First Lady, Grace Mugabe, during her rally held at Mutambara Mission last month.

The acting chairman, Samuel Undenge, announced that the issue would be deliberated as a matter on any other business, but some of those in attendance would have none of it and harsh words were traded, resulting in the most senior member in the Politburo present, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri intervening.

Normalcy was temporarily restored, but all hell broke loose when the national spokesperson for the women's league, Monica Mutsvangwa, brought up the issue again.

Mutsvangwa drew the ire of some youth league members when she said the national secretary for the commissariat, Saviour Kasukuwere, should not have interfered in the matter since it was a women's issue.

Kasukuwere wrote to the provincial leadership acknowledging receipt of the petition of the vote of no confidence passed on Nyakuedzwa and said the issue would be deliberated on.

Some youth members interjected saying Mutsvangwa should respect the party's leadership and not undermine the authority and office of Kasukuwere.

As tempers reached boiling point, the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development's aide, David Sanganza, charged at youth executive member Kudzai Madara and manhandled him.

It was a free for all situation as rival members intervened.

The meeting was temporarily halted as there was pushing and shoving among the members.

Police had to move in and quell the disturbances to allow the meeting to continue.

Madara later made an assault report at Mutare Central Police station.

Deputy national youth secretary, Kudzai Chipanga, who addressed the meeting, said ministers' aides should stick to their mandate of protecting VIPs and not to disrupt meetings.

"Ministers' aides are there to provide security to the VIPs and not to cause chaos. As youths we will not tolerate their intervening in matters outside their mandate. There was no danger or threat to his boss, Made and we wonder why Sanganza charged at Madara. This was a personal attack on our member and we will not allow that.

"Sanganza is not a senior party or government official, so who is he to behave in the manner he did?" he said.

Chipanga urged senior party members to be exemplary in their conduct.

"Mutsvangwa caused all this chaos. She dismissed a letter from Kasukuwere acknowledging receipt of the petition from the women's league on the vote of no confidence passed on Nyakuedzwa. It's Kasukuwere's duty as the political commissar to handle these issues. What irked us was Mutsvangwa's utterances when she said: 'who is Kasukuwere?' It's common knowledge that Kasukuwere is the national political commissar and a Politburo member. All organs fall under the main wing.

"If party leaders want our respect, they should be exemplary. If they want to be recognised as leaders, they should be ready to be led," said Chipanga.

In an interview, Mutsvangwa said she never undermined Kasukuwere's authority, but insisted that the women's league political commissar, Mabel Chinomona, was the right person to tackle the issue of Nyakuedzwa's vote of no confidence.

"I never undermined Kasukuwere. The vote of no confidence issue should have been tackled by our women's league political commissar. Zanu-PF has properly laid down structures and they should be followed.

"As the national women's league executive, we've never received a report on the issue of the vote of no confidence on Nyakuedzwa. We're not protecting her. If she has a case to answer then proper procedures should be followed.

"All those saying I undermined Kasukuwere have an agenda of causing disunity in the party," she said.

Undenge said the issue of Nyakuedzwa's vote of no confidence was now beyond his jurisdiction and he would stand guided by what his seniors said.

"The buck on these issues stops with the national political commissar," said Undenge.

Muchinguri-Kashiri called for unity among party members.

"We shouldn't allow ourselves to be used in these political games. We want a united Manicaland where people follow properly laid down structures," she said.

The meeting was also attended by Politburo members among them Cdes Patrick Chinamasa and Chris Mushohwe.