By Paul Nyathi|As desperation increases in the ruling ZANU PF party ahead of its primary and national elections, party supporters have established probably the strangest association to help drum up support for themselves.
The faction ridden party last week saw the establishment of the National Zanu PF Aggrieved Voters’ Association set up to challenge the party’s candidate identification process.
The Association came up amidst huge speculations in the party that party provincial structures responsible for elections were disqualifying some candidates loyal to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in favour of the rival G40 faction aligned members.
In its first official intervention on the electoral process the association appealed for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s intervention to stop the known G40 members from manipulating the candidates’ selection process ahead of the party’s internal polls set for May 5 this year.
Addressing journalists in Harare over the weekend, the chairperson of the Association Austin Chindega warned that the party risked being hijacked by G40 members, whom he claimed were now dictating terms and declaring their seats as uncontested.
Chindega singled out Mashonaland West member and Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa, Kadoma’s Jimayi Muduvuri and Manicaland’s Esau Mupfumi, saying they were G40 kingpins who openly campaigned against Mnangagwa’s succession bid and even composed praise songs for former First Lady Grace Mugabe.
“Some provincial leaders are being bought with silver and gold at the expense of voters. We are born Zanu PF and we will vote for President Mnangagwa, but we want him to correct what some provincial leaders are doing. How can you confirm Chiyangwa as unopposed? We have videos of him with Mupfumi singing Grace’s praise, but they are now in front, they are now representing the party as unopposed,” Chindega queried.
He claimed that the G40 activists had manipulated provincial leaderships in a bid to destabilise the party ahead of this year’s general elections.
“Prodigal sons are allowed back in the party, but they must take the back seat. Muduvuri has vast tracts of land in Kadoma, which he even invited Grace Mugabe to officiate. He had several land deals he did with former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere. He also has other land deals in Norton, but the same people are taken back to lead us. So, as Zanu PF voters, we are saying no to imposition of unwanted candidates.”
Chindega said his executive would soon engage the presidium on the matter.
Additional information from Newsday.