THE ruling Zanu PF party is embroiled in bitter and dangerous fights that do not bode well for the nation.
Factionalists are burning midnight oil plotting to outwit each other.
On one side is a group of people pushing to suspend the 2028 elections so that they can extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule to 2030.
Constitutionally, his reign ends in 2028 when he completes his two five-year terms.
Amending the Constitution will gobble millions of dollars which, on another day, could be used to support developmental projects.
Constitutional amendments require a referendum and depending on the outcome, they can lead to another election so that the changes can benefit the incumbent, who is currently barred from benefiting from any changes to the supreme law of the land.
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Amid a tanking economy, joblessness, company closures, a ballooning informal sector, cronyism, tribalism, rampant corruption and nepotism among the rank and file of Mnangagwa’s government as well as a cocktail of other challenges, the path to his continued stay at State House is rocky.
Zanu PF has used its influence, including on State institutions, to crush any meaningful dissent to its continued rule and has manipulated the MDC/MDC-T/MDC Alliance/Citizens Coalition for Change into servile acquiescence by planting its preferred leaders in the opposition.
There is now a pliant opposition in Parliament, a product of Zanu PF’s shenanigans, which says yes to anything the ruling party proposes.
They have even visited Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm in Kwekwe obviously for indoctrination.
The Tshabangus of this world have also given the thumbs up to the ED2030 agenda.
On the other side is a group of people pushing for Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga to take over in 2028.
Some of them are fed up with evident maladministration, they want change.
Others want to see Mnangagwa’s back arguing that there are questionable characters which are getting government tenders and inflating figures and sometimes failing to supply after being paid.
In all these fights, Zimbabweans continue to get a raw deal.
There is no talk about turning around the economy, recapitalising the ailing industry, helping retail outlets survive competition from runners, job creation, new power projects, etc, the list is endless.
Political commentator, Brian Sedze believes Mnangagwa has a lot to decisively act on besides the 2030 talk and the recent revival of a police State when he returns from leave.
The HIV and Aids funding gap requires immediate action on alternative funding.
The hospitality industry is sneezing as MICE [M: Meetings, I: Incentives, C: Conferences, E: Exhibitions] has been heavily impacted by the closure of non-governmental organisations.
The police State makes it impossible to have viable urban transport systems.
The retail sector is under siege and informal sector under blitzkrieg, making it less viable each day.
Sedze also believes that Finance minister Mthuli Ncube is majoring in minors, coming up with statutory instruments that solve one problem and create a myriad of others instead of focusing on reforms of the currency, the tax system and increasing domestic productivity.
Indeed, the Zanu PF fights are vapid.
They do not offer a solution to any of the challenges we are facing today.