PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday admitted serious infighting within the ruling Zanu PF as the party gathers for its annual conference in Bulawayo, and warned that “trouble-causers” will be severely punished.
In his opening remarks, while addressing Zanu PF central committee members at the party’s headquarters, Mnangagwa asked if there were any sellouts in the meeting.
“Are there any sellouts here?” Mnangagwa asked before he read his speech.
He said the leadership was going to deal with members abusing party structures as Zanu PF reels from intense infighting over controversial plans to extend his term of office.
Mnangagwa is in his second and final five-year terms, which expires in 2028.
He has previously said that he will retire in 2028, but his loyalists want his presidential term extended, triggering the infighting.
“If each level is correctly constituted, then the party has a sustainable base and solid foundation. There is a need to always guard against infiltration and waywardness within party structures,” Mnangagwa said.
“We must decisively deal with abuses and not abandon our structures. Only hidden agendas create such abuses.
- NoViolet Bulawayo’s new novel is an instant Zimbabwean classic
- Jah Prayzah, Zanu PF rekindles ‘lost love’
- Bank workers appeal to Ncube for tax relief
- Indosakusa marks 21-year anniversary milestone
Keep Reading
“The solution to challenges, for example within the district co-ordination committees (DCCs), is not to destroy the structure, but correct the anomalies, through the strict adherence to the party constitution, rules and procedures.”
Zanu PF’s cell restructuring exercise was also marred by infighting among opposing camps aligned to Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga.
“As a critical decision-making body of our colossal mass party, Zanu PF, it is incumbent upon us, the central committee, to ensure that all members continue to toe the correct line of our party,” Mnangagwa said.
“Zanu PF members must always be educated on the importance of genuine and correct party structures, starting at the lowest level, the cells and villages, moving up to branches and districts.”
Zanu PF is holding its annual conference in Bulawayo.
Meanwhile, there has been confusion at the party’s Davies Hall offices in Bulawayo, where the accreditation exercise is taking place.
Party members from as far as the Midlands and Plumtree, who arrived on Tuesday morning, have been struggling to obtain accreditation.
Journalists and other delegates intending to attend the conference were not spared.
On Tuesday, the accreditation process was disrupted after an official informed that the team in charge of the exercise was still in Harare attending a politburo meeting.
Tensions escalated further as some delegates discovered that their names were missing from the official list.
This sparked outrage among party members, who demanded answers from the local officials handling the process.
Mnangagwa yesterday said the conference is not a mere talk-show.
“Our meetings are not talk-shows, hence members are required to be mindful of the need to conclude outstanding business,” he said.
