MASVINGO— The Zanu PF Masvingo provincial co-ordinating committee (PCC) allegedly blocked weekend attempts by the party national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo-led probe team to dissolve the provincial executive.
Report by Tatenda Chitagu
Party insiders told NewsDay over the weekend that the Lovemore Matuke-led provincial executive was being accused of fanning factionalism and Khaya Moyo’s four-member team allegedly wanted to impose a new leadership.
“The PCC vehemently resisted Khaya Moyo’s attempts to dissolve them, saying they had done nothing wrong. They believed Khaya Moyo was dissolving the executive, most of whose members are aligned to (Defence minister Emmerson) Mnangagwa, to prop up Vice-President Joice Mujuru,” a top Zanu PF source who attended the meeting said.
The PCC comprises the party’s politburo, central committee, national consultative assembly, provincial and district executive members and representatives of the war veterans’ association.
However, Khaya Moyo denied the allegations and told NewsDay his team — which also included national secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa, Security minister Sydney Sekeramayi and political commissar Webster Shamu — was on a fact-finding mission.
“We did not come to do anything with the provincial executive. We never came to do anything with the executive. We came to assess the preparedness of the party vis-à-vis the coming harmonised elections,” Khaya Moyo said.
According to Zanu PF insiders, Matuke’s executive was allegedly aligned to Mnangagwa, whose godfather in Masvingo was former provincial governor Josiah Hungwe, a politburo member.
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Hungwe was involved in a fight for control of the vast province with another politburo member and former governor Dzikamai Mavhaire, who is reportedly aligned to Mujuru’s faction.
Although both Mujuru and Mnangagwa have publicly denied leading factions, sources said the two were involved in subtle fights to strategically position themselves to succeed 89-year-old President Robert Mugabe as party leader.
Khaya Moyo’s probe team has so far dissolved provincial executives in Manicaland, Bulawayo and Matabeleland North amid reports that it was now targeting Midlands and Mashonaland West provinces.
Yesterday, the probe team was expected in Mashonaland Central province on the same mission.
