Unity in Zanu-PF would be good for Zim-Asset implementation

The 2018 harmonized elections are fast drawing near and time is also fast fading away for Zanu-PF and government to fully implement the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) programs so that the 2013 elections campaign message for Zanu-PF is fully operational to avoid backlash from the supposedly disgruntled electorate in the next national plebiscite.

Recent events in the ruling party have seen some sporadic witch-hunting scenarios where people perceived to be aligned to the former Vice President, Joyce Mujuru, getting suspended despite the fact that the commissariat department of the party has ordered a stop to such actions. In some instances senior members of the Liberation War Veterans were quoted in some sections of the media calling for the suspensions  to go ahead in defiance of the commissariat department`s order.

Such confusion in Zanu-PF, where you find some of the supporters and members of the party failing to take orders from the top leadership, calls for the no bound action from the same top leadership to cull such unruly elements before they contaminate the whole revolutionary party into a disobedient party. It is counterproductive to let people do negative things without following what the leadership wants done. People should be aware that their presence in Zanu-PF calls for them to accept and obey what the top leadership expects them to do.

The Zanu-PF leadership should not relax and watch as the party slides into unruly behavior as it should flex its muscles the same way the President did at the Zanu-PF Elective Congress where senior party members were fired  because they were no longer having the party`s interests at heart. The senior party members were fired as they got busy working to facilitate their personal interests instead of working for the full implementation of the Zim-Asset programs.

The events that took place in Mashonaland East on Thursday 8 January 2015, where some allegedly Zanu-PF supporters blocked a meeting that was arranged by the Resident Minister of the province, Cde Joel Biggie Matiza, on the pretext that he had no powers to do that, calls for a thorough investigation and appropriate action to be taken against such unruly and thuggery behaviour.

Cde Biggie Matiza, who was appointed by President Mugabe to represent Mashonaland East as Minister of State for that province, was not supposed to have his stakeholders meeting disrupted by people like Philemon Mutongi and his supporters who did not recognize Cde Biggie Matiza's seniority  in the province. Mutongi and his followers should be aware that Cde Biggie Matiza did not appoint himself to represent Mashonaland East province but the President himself.

As such there was no reason for people like Philemon Mutongi and his followers to disrupt Cde Biggie Matiza when he was doing duties which he was assigned to do by the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, Cde R.G Mugabe. Such unruly action by Mutongi and company just confirmed the notion that the roots of factionalism in the country, in general and Mashonaland East in particular, are not yet totally uprooted.

It is now incumbent upon the ruling party to put its house in order so that the time of back biting among its members and engaging in counterproductive moves bent on destroying the party is stopped. Zanu-PF should move fast and destroy some pockets of factionalism which are failing to accept that factionalism was destroyed at the December 2014 Zanu-PF Elective Congress that brought in the new Zanu-PF leadership.

So the move taken by the Zanu-PF Commissariat Department last week to curb such pockets of resistance in Mashonaland East should be applauded as the move is bound to bring sanity in the party. It is surprising that some people who claim to be genuine Zanu-PF supporters would go against what the President and First secretary of the party would have said and put in action.

Real supporters of Zanu-PF should not be found on the wrong side of the revolutionary party`s ideology of respecting its top leadership. What is currently taking part in the party could be a ploy by disgruntled supporters of the former Vice President Mujuru who are fighting to make sure that there is no progress in the implementation of the Zim-Asset programs.

For that reason, the Zanu-PF Commissariat Department should move with speed throughout the country in trying to make sure that there is unity of purpose in all Zanu-PF cells, branches districts, provinces up to the national level. There is no time left for Zanu-PF to put its house in order as the 2018 harmonized elections are just fast approaching while there are still some people who are trying to destroy the party from within. Some people who were luck not to get fired, same as the former VP Mujuru, could be the ones creating confusion within the party, hence, the Commissariat Department needs to act with speed to make sure that all departments are left clean and staffed with people having the party at heart.

The revolutionary party should now concentrate more on making sure that people are united and make them move along on the same direction in order to make sure that the Zim-Asset programs are fully implemented. There is need to let bygone be bygones and create unity among the party`s supporters so as to make it become stronger again.

As such time for healing should be there so that the party gets to the 2018 harmonised elections being united. The unity among Zanu-PF supporters would make it possible for the ruling party to reclaim another electoral victory in 2018 harmonized election reminiscent of the July 31, 2013 elections in which Zanu-PF emphatically romped to victory.

Icho!

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Hanyani Matitemba can be contacted at mhanyani@yahoo.com