The unstoppable succession wars in Zanu PF have claimed more casualties with youths aligned to the generation 40 (G40) camp being booted out from Bulawayo province yesterday.
Just a few days after the party’s conference held in Victoria Falls where President Robert Mugabe claimed to have pacified warring factions, the Bulawayo provincial youth league passed a vote of no confidence on three of its executive members on allegations of fanning factionalism.
The three, who were immediately suspended following an emergency meeting at the Zanu PF provincial headquarters yesterday, include secretary for finance Davis Muhambi, secretary for commissariat, Boniface Mutsure, and transport and welfare secretary Maqhawe Sibanda.
The three suspended youths are said to be aligned to a Zanu PF faction of young Turks that is known as G40 and includes in its ranks the party’s political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, while those who masterminded the vote of no confidence are said to be aligned to the other faction led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Speaking at a media briefing soon after the meeting that was attended by 26 executive members out of 39, youth league provincial chairman Khumbulani Mpofu confirmed the suspensions.
“Information obtained by the youth executive revealed that some members of the provincial youth wing executive were in possession of a petition against me as the provincial chairman and the secretary for administration, Cecilia Verenga,” Mpofu said.
“Apart from having fake (baseless) allegations, the petition accused the provincial members of various offences ranging from fanning factionalism, misconduct and bringing the name of the party into disrepute,” he said.
The youth chairman said after deliberations by the executive, it was agreed that the move by the three was meant to strengthen their hold in the provincial executive as well as further their selfish ends.
The three are also being accused of
insulting the senior leadership of the party on WhatsApp group chats, practising divisive politics and also claimed that Mutsure had failed to discharge responsibilities associated with his office.
“The executive further reaffirmed its position in the interest of the party by being wary of divisive elements that may want to bring the party into disrepute. We also unanimously agreed to support President Robert Mugabe as the sole candidate for the position of first secretary and president of Zanu PF,” Mpofu said.
Both the Mnangagwa faction and the G40 camp that are engaged in a brutal war to succeed the ailing Mugabe have not heeded their leader’s passionate plea to stop factionalism and instead have escalated their wars.
On Monday, war veterans chairperson Chris Mutsvangwa, a known supporter of Mnangagwa, was shown the door by the party’s Mashonaland West province on charges of undermining the authority of the president.
And the Daily News is reliably informed that more heads are set to roll as both camps try to assert their authority and move to position themselves for eventual takeover in the event Mugabe becomes incapacitated or leaves office.