Reading different newspapers from both the private and public media houses on a daily basis, one never misses reports that show there is chaos and division among Zanu PF members and supporters who are fighting on factional lines to influence President Robert Mugabe’s succession whenever he finally leaves office.
By John Mukumbo,Our Reader
Headlines like Zanu PF abusing war veterans (Daily News March 19 2016), Msipa rips into Mugabe (the Standard April 3 2016), Mugabe savages Lacoste war vets (Daily News on Sunday April 3-9 2016, War vets dare Mugabe (NewsDay April 4 2016, Crisis as war vets defy Mugabe (Daily News April 4 2016), Kasukuwere comes out guns blazing (the Herald April 4 2016), Zanu PF in series of indabas (the Herald April 5 2016), to mention just but a few, show the gloomy picture of what is happening in Zanu PF. The situation, as portrayed by the newspapers, is that Zanu PF is on the brink of collapse, hence the need to stop the threat of factionalism and division in the party.
On one hand, the party leadership views the war veterans of the war of liberation as abusing their positions in the party by claiming to be treated differently from other members and supporters and that war vets are said to be not towing the line that they are expected to follow.
As such, the war vets are said to be fighting in the corner of the so-called Team Lacoste in a battle to succeed Mugabe. On the other hand, the so-called Generation 40 (G40) is allegedly fighting against team Lacoste on the same mission to succeed Mugabe. So the revolutionary party is in a tug-of-war which needs its leadership to reign in its membership to save the party from imminent collapse.
The situation cannot be left to flourish as the opposition political parties could be celebrating all the way to the 2018 general elections. Therefore, it is the duty of the party national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere to make sure the party is kept intact. Kasukuwere’s position should be regarded as that of the godfather and peacemaker in Zanu PF who is supposed to unite the warring factional parties.
Kasukuwere should make sure that those fighting along factional lines are told to stop it and uphold the ideology and principles of the party. He should not be seen to be aligned to any one of the factions fighting for dominance in the ruling party. His position in the party should be that of a father-figure.
It is good for Kasukuwere to make sure that Zanu PF remains united. He should avoid being viewed as taking sides.
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Mugabe was elected by the December 2014 party congress to be the Zanu PF candidate for the 2018 presidential elections and that position must be clearly be spelt out to the factional parties so that the party remains intact — Kasukuwere needs to educate them on that.
It is sad to note that one of the factions accuses him of bias, a situation which creates division and mistrusts within the party.
He is reported to have said that the “gloves are now off” at one rally, indicating that he was ready to fight against a section in the party which is going against what he perceives to be right in favour of the one he is perceived to be leading. Such a move, if true, was very unfortunate as Kasukuwere should not be taking sides in those factional fights. Instead he should unite the party instead of dividing it by taking sides.
His handling of the Midlands, Masvingo and Mashonaland East fiascos earlier this year left a lot to be desired. When he suspended Kizito Chivamba, Ezra Chadzamira and Joe Biggie Matiza as provincial chairpersons of Midlands, Masvingo and Mashonaland East respectively on allegations that they mobilised Zanu PF supporters to snub Mugabe’s African Union welcome rally in Harare left those affected with more questions than answers. Some people expected him to pick their deputies as acting provincial chairpersons, but Kasukuwere chose to handpick his preferred candidates to fill such vacancies leaving supporters of those affected disgruntled nearly overshadowing the hosting of the 21st February Movement celebrations in Masvingo.
Such a move could have been corrected if Kasukuwere had left everything to the disciplinary committee to deal with.
Actually he needs to make sure that the party is united so that the emergency of the Zimbabwe People First is neutralised. Divisions within the ruling party could make ZimPF stronger than unexpected as those who would be disgruntled could seek political survival in that party.
