The faction allegedly aligned to Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa in the race to control Zanu PF internal politics in the Midlands gained an upper hand over the Mujuru faction when it snapped up most of the seats in the district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections held in the province over the weekend.
Sources who spoke to NewsDay said the thrust of the elections was to alienate anyone remotely associated with the Mujuru faction like the current provincial chairman Jason Machaya and party national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo.
“We have cleaned out all of Mujuru’s people in the province, even those close to (Rugare) Gumbo in Zvishavane failed to get any seats in the DCC elections held there. We are set to control the province now,” said a senior official in the Mnangagwa camp.
DCC elections held in Gokwe and Zvishavane saw Mnangagwa loyalists getting most of the influential seats, positioning them to take control of the province.
Mnangagwa’s most trusted ally in the Midlands, provincial security officer Owen “Mudha” Ncube, is credited with having engineered and delivered the resounding victory which means his boss maintains solid control of the province.
“Mudha (Ncube) has been working hard to ensure we secure this victory which gives the faction an upper hand in the upcoming provincial elections where Machaya is expected to be unseated following allegations he has joined the Mujuru camp,” said a source.
Cornelius Mupereri — who played a crucial role in the Zanu PF invasion of gold fields in Sherwood Block and is a close ally of Mnangagwa — romped to victory to become the Kwekwe DCC chairman, creating easy passage for the camp’s allies to parliamentary seats ahead of elections.
He shrugged off Masango “Blackman” Matambanadzo, a former Mnangagwa ally who fell out of favour following alleged links with the Mujuru camp.
