THERE are concerted efforts to remove Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Mary Mliswa-Chikoka amid revelations that a vote of no-confidence petition is circulating in the province.
Sources said 27 out of 59 provincial executive committee members had signed the petition.
The scheme, hatched a long time ago, was revived a few weeks ago when provincial secretary for administration Misheck Nyarubero wrote a letter without the blessing of other provincial executive committee leaders castigating Mliswa-Chikoka for co-opting members into the executive without proper consultations.
“It was after this that PEC [provincial executive committee] members present in the new meeting started complaining about the unilateral appointments that the provincial chairperson Cde M Mliswa had made. PEC members started leaving the meeting venue complaining about the main provincial co-options being null and void,” wrote Nyarubero to the party’s commissariat department
This forced Zanu PF political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha to visit the province last week where he rectified the anomaly by rescinding the co-options.
Nyarubero said there was no need for the petition since Mliswa-Chikoka’s mistakes were corrected.
Zanu PF provincial spokesperson Nigel Murambiwa said there was talk of a petition against Mliswa-Chikoka being fronted by some party members within the province.
“We urge all to be calm and shun divisions within party structures. Everything is going on well in our province, but you know, this is politics, anything is possible.”
The first and only female Zanu PF provincial chairperson, Mliswa-Chikoka said she heard about the petition but will not lose sleep over it because “it’s a non-event”, adding that she is concentrating on party restructuring activities.
“I heard about the petition, but that’s not my priority. I’m busy with party programmes, including the restructuring exercise. I do not want to concentrate on things that do not promote unity within the party” she said.
Another Zanu PF senior member in the province, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation, said there were some politburo members allegedly pushing for the ouster of the politician.
“It’s being instigated by some in the politburo, but unfortunately, it will not be supported by most members in the province. People cannot just wake up and say we no longer want the chairperson,” the member said.
Another member said it was tribalism at play as Mliswa-Chikoka is regarded to be from the Midlands province.
“It boils down to tribalism. It’s to do with succession,” they said.
But, according to sources, some view Mliswa-Chikoka as too junior in the party to control the problematic province, referring to her as “a little girl”, while others said she is a “lioness of Mashonaland West” from her Shumba totem.