ZANU PF factional fights have reached a crescendo with the Amos Midzi-led Harare provincial leadership throwing brickbats at politburo member Cleveria Chizema for breaching protocol and convening “a kangaroo meeting” in Highfield, Harare, on Sunday, where she urged the dissolution of the provincial executive.
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Addressing a Press conference at the party’s provincial offices yesterday, Midzi described Zanu PF Women’s League members who addressed the Highfield meeting as “mischievous and misdirected”.
Midzi said the meeting had not been sanctioned by his provincial executive, adding that contrary to Chizema’s claims, Harare province was the first to endorse First Lady Grace Mugabe’s ascendancy to lead the Women’s League.
He also denied charges that he had ordered his loyalists to beat up and block party youths from attending Chizema’s meeting.
“We would like to confirm that as Harare province leadership, we have already dealt with the matter of supporting the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe for the position of national secretary for women affairs. This position is contained in a letter that we wrote as a province to the national chairman Cde SK [Simon Khaya] Moyo, who is also chairman of the national elections directorate, on August 13 2014. In that letter, we confirmed that Grace Mugabe is a member of the party in Robert Mugabe district under Harare province,” Midzi said.
“I hope this position that I have shared with you will clarify and dispel the mischievous and misdirected statement which gave the impression that Harare province had not embraced the resolution from the national youth and women conferences.”
Provincial Women’s League boss Angeline Matambanadzo also distanced herself from the Highfield meeting.
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“As chairperson, I lead the league in Harare and I am shocked to hear that our youths are being beaten up. This happened during an unconstitutional meeting and they are using big names and therefore as parents, we are afraid,” Matambanadzo said.
“I didn’t know about the meeting and I will take that up to check how the meeting was sanctioned. How can a meeting be called for in our province without our knowledge? The meeting was unconstitutional and people were bussed from housing co-operatives to attend that meeting.
“No one should claim to love the President more than others. We are all Zanu PF, we love President Mugabe. There are wolves in sheep skin who have their agenda.”
Addressing the Sunday meeting, several party officials, including Harare provincial youth chairperson Godfrey Gomwe, reportedly took turns to attack Midzi and politburo member Tendai Savanhu, saying they were against Grace’s ascendancy to power.
Informed party sources said Chizema’s team falsely told their supporters that the First Lady would attend the meeting in a bid to attract a bumper crowd.
Others said Chizema would likely land herself in trouble for indiscipline as she went against Mugabe’s stern advice in Marondera where he said chairpersons, and not politburo members, should be in charge of provinces.
