Zanu PF’s provincial leaders in Manicaland survived an ouster plot as factional wars in the ruling party that were ignited by the influence of wealthy businessmen around President Emmerson Mnangagwa took a nasty turn.
Munyaradzi Machacha, the Zanu PF commissar, is said to have tried to use the ruling party’s policy meeting last Monday to push for the removal of Manicaland provincial chairperson Tawanda Makodza on allegations that his executive was in office on an interim basis.
Machacha allegedly told the meeting that is usually attended by politburo members who work full time at the Zanu PF headquarters that Makodza was not fit for office because he was allegedly involved in criminal activities.
The two have had long running clashes over the elevation of Mnangagwa’s advisor Paul Tungwarara to the central committee with the commissar at some point trying to block the controversial businessman’s ascendancy.
Tungwarara was eventually co-opted into the central committee by the Zanu PF politburo last week.
At the policy meeting Machacha presented a report from the previous engagement following his investigation into recent disturbances in Manicaland.
His report said Makodza and provincial political commissar Albert Nyakuedzwa’s positions were not substantive.
It also accused the provincial chairman and his executive of causing disturbances in Manicaland by hiring thugs to physically attack some provincial members at meetings as the fighting over Tungwarara’s elevation escalated.
Late last year, a provincial executive committee meeting descended into violence after party youths disrupted proceedings.
Machacha recommended that Makodza should be hauled before the national disciplinary committee and that Manicaland initiate a process to fill the positions of provincial chairman and the provincial political commissar with substantive members.
He allegedly made a series of serious accusations against Makodza, describing him as a smuggler, gangster and drug dealer.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Jacob Mudenda told Machacha that such criminal cases should be reported to the police, but the commissar is said to have claimed that Makodza was untouchable.
“Machacha claimed that the police in Manicaland are afraid of arresting him and that he wants him fired,” the insider said.
“Machacha said the party has to act because the state apparatus has failed to do their duty.”
Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, who is known to belong to the Tungwarara camp, was quick to remind Machacha that Makodza was answerable to Mnangagwa and cannot be fired without prior notice to the president.
Mutsvangwas said the provincial chairman had also not been convicted by any court of law.
“In short, Mutsvangwa was telling Machacha that he cannot be the police, judge and jury,” the source said.
Mudenda said it had become clear that Machacha had personal issues with Makodza.
He queried why he made the decision to fire Makodza, who had been receiving praise from Mnangagwa for organising a successful conference in October last year.
“Mudenda brushed Machacha aside and appointed the national commissar’s deputy, Webster Shambu, to investigate the issue,” the source added.
Machacha and Zanu PF treasurer general Patrick Chinamasa are said to belong to a camp that supports Tungwarara’s rival Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who was elevated to the central committee last year.
There were claims that Tagwirei’s camp did not want Mnangagwa’s advisor to be elevated as he would overshadow the Zanu PF benefactor.
“In the meeting, Patrick Chinamasa, the elder of the province, absented himself,” the source said.
“ He excused himself when the Manicaland issue was about to be tabled.
“Even Tendai Chirau, who should have been there as deputy of security, intentionally excused himself from the meeting.
“It was clear they didn’t want to offend the Tagwirei camp and thus chose absence, leaving the compromised Machacha to be roasted as a lone soldier.
“He was made to carry his cross.
“Against Tagwirei’s wish, Tungwarara’s co-option was endorsed by the politburo.”
Another source said Mutsvangwa fought hard for Tungwarara’s cooption into the central committee.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is said to have paved way for Tungwarara’s elevation after he told the politburo that Tagwirei’s cooption had set a precedent.
Chiwenga opposed Tagwirei’s elevation to the central committee as he argued that wealthy people were capturing the ruling party.
Tungwarara last year launched a fierce campaign against his rival as he used so-called empowerment programmes to make a series of allegations against him.
Zanu PF had to halt the programmes as the wars between the two businessmen almost plunged the ruling party into a crisis.