BY SILAS NKALA
OPPOSITION Zapu presidential aspirants have been slammed for abandoning their current posts to jostle for the party’s top post ahead of the forthcoming elective congress.
The party’s former director for security Andrew Ndovu recently wrote to the acting party president Isaac Mabuka complaining about senior party members who are no longer performing their duties.
In a memorandum dated August 13, Ndlovu said he was worried that the national executive council (NEC) and national people’s council (NPC) members, jostling for posts was affecting the direction in which the party was headed to.
“Their move has left many Zapu members in the dark as to which direction Zapu was heading to. More than 50% of NEC/NPC members are Zapu presidential aspiring candidates. The same people will also take part in the board which will hear disputes of aspiring presidential candidates,” Ndlovu wrote.
“So the truth is they cannot be judges in their own cases. As a result, there will be no free and fair presidential election at congress if the above matter is not addressed accordingly.”
Ndlovu said members of the NEC/NPC aspiring to be party president must relinquish their positions so that they concentrate on campaigning for presidency.
“Even those who lost primaries in their provinces should also resign. The reason being that they continue to use their positions to cause confusion against provincial conference results. They should be relieved from holding their current offices of authority until after congress.
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“A congress executive committee to be led by the acting president must be appointed from all provinces to lead the party to a peaceful congress. This will serve the interests of all Zapu presidential candidates, and the results after the congress will be declared free and fair by all delegates who would have come from all provinces.”
Ndlovu also suggested that a disciplinary committee be led by someone with a legal background.
Mabuka confirmed receiving the memo, but told Southern Eye that Ndlovu generalised the issues, adding that what was needed was for him to point out the people he was referring to.
“I got the letter and I responded to it. He should have pointed out who those people are so that when disciplinary action needed to be taken, it would be clear who has done what,” Mabuka said.
The Zapu congress, which has been postponed several times, is scheduled for October this year.
Zapu presidential aspirants are the late former Vice-President Joshua Nkomo’s son Sibangilizwe, secretary-general Strike Mnkandla, Matabeleland South chairperson Matthew Sibanda and United Kingdom-based Sithembiso Mpofu.
Other aspirants are Bernard Magugu, current treasurer-general Mark Mbaiwa and spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa.
Follow Silas on Twitter @silasnkala
