Staff Reporter|ZimEye.com is reliably informed that the ongoing split in the Zimbabwe People First party is based on differences in handling thorny Matabeleland issues between the founding party elders Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo against President Joice Mujuru.

Inside sources within the party told ZimEye.com that a major feud between Mujuru and her elders is around what the elders describe as Mujuru’s, “failure to uphold the founding principles of the party.”

According to the elders Mujuru also over opened up the party and brought in too much buy in from members from other opposition parties when she was appointed interim President. The elders instead wanted the party not to be a mainstream opposition party but a splinter of ZANU PF against President Robert Mugabe’s control of the ruling party.

The sources further indicate that the elders were particularly never happy with Mujuru’s over incorporation of the Matabeleland regions into the party and its leadership. According to the sources the final spark of the flames between Mujuru and the elders, arose last month after Mujuru allowed for the inclusion of the devolution of power concept and the inclusion of a secretariat in charge of National Healing and Reconciliation issues which have always been barred from the ZANU PF operations.

Both the devolution of power and the national healing and reconciliation clauses in the constitution were brought in by the Matabeleland regions much to the infuriation of the elders.

Mujuru is reported to have been warned several times by the elders of her soft spot for the Matabeleland regions where she has been visiting more frequent than all the other provinces.

According to the sources the elders were due to dismiss Mujuru from her position on Tuesday morning on the grounds of insubordination and failure to uplift the values of the party. Information to the regard found its way out of the cabal which had held a meeting the previous night and got to Mujuru who immediately summoned her provincial chairpersons to seek a resolution to dismiss the elders before they could execute their own dismissal of her.