ZANU-PF heavyweights clash over women's league control

Deepening factional rifts have erupted within ZANU-PF's top leadership as senior party figures Patrick Chinamasa and Mabel Chinomona trade accusations over the control of the women's league in Manicaland province, ahead of crucial provincial elections set for later this year.

Letters in possession of this publication reveal a fierce tug-of-war between the two politburo members, with both accusing each other of imposing their preferred candidates to chair the provincial women's wing.

In a letter dated June 6 addressed to the ZANU-PF leadership, party secretary for legal affairs Chinamasa protested the controversial co-option of Dorothy Mabika as provincial chairperson, claiming she was parachuted into the role through unconstitutional means. He alleged Mabika, a known ally of Chinomona-the party's secretary for the women's league-was handpicked to replace the suspended Happiness Nyakuedzwa without due process.

Before Mabika's installation, Mercy Sacco, believed to be aligned to Chinamasa, had been serving as the acting chairperson. In his correspondence, Chinamasa insisted Sacco remains the substantive leader until the matter is resolved.

"Recent events and developments affecting the women's league are of grave concern to me as they undermine the unity of the party and its appeal to the generality of the population in Manicaland," Chinamasa said.

He decried what he termed "acts of lawlessness" and described the co-option process as deeply flawed. According to him, the appropriate official-acting provincial chairwoman Mercy Sacco-was sidelined, and national women's league member Chimuso usurped authority by running the process in contravention of Section 554 of the ZANU-PF constitution.

"The co-option process was irregular and unconstitutional and cannot yield any acceptable results," he wrote, adding that the party's secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke, was tasked with investigating the matter and reporting back to the politburo.

However, Chinomona hit back in a strongly worded reply, accusing Chinamasa of interfering in internal women's affairs and sowing confusion.

"We are deeply concerned about the way women's league issues in Manicaland province are manifesting and how other departments are interfering," Chinomona said.

She urged all parties to allow the security department to complete its investigation as mandated by the politburo, warning against premature conclusions and actions.

"We are shocked that you [Chinamasa] have come to a resolution that Mrs Sacco is now the substantive head of the women's league in Manicaland while the politburo is awaiting submission of investigation findings," she wrote.

Chinomona maintained that Dorothy Mabika remains the provincial chairwoman-at least until the politburo makes a final ruling based on the findings from the security department.

Meanwhile, both Mabika and Sacco have been convening parallel meetings across Manicaland, a development that threatens to deepen divisions and derail unity efforts ahead of the provincial elections.

The escalating dispute not only exposes factional tensions within the ruling party but also places the integrity of ZANU-PF's internal electoral processes under the spotlight. All eyes are now on the politburo as it prepares to receive the much-anticipated security report that could determine the leadership of the Manicaland women's league.