Mnangagwa Plots To Grab Women’s League From Grace
9 March 2017
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A RULING ZANU-PF faction agitating for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed President Robert Mugabe is understood to be frantically working to reclaim critical party organs from its rival, after its clear victory in Masvingo’s provincial elections a fortnight ago.
This comes as public brawls between the factions — Team Lacoste and Generation 40 (G40) — broke out in the aftermath of commemorations for President Mugabe’s 93rd birthday in Matobo.

The clashes involved provincial members in Harare, Bulawayo and Mashonaland Central.
Sources said this week Team Lacoste, which supports Mnangagwa, was mobilising district youth chairpersons in Harare and Bulawayo to gang up against their provincial and national leaders in the league as the faction seeks to destabilise G40.

Ructions are also emerging in the Women’s Leagues, where daggers are being drawn against some national executive members belonging to the G40 faction.

Following a fall-out between G40 and Team Lacoste members who had rallied together to plot the expulsion of former vice president Joice Mujuru in 2014, G40 members had orchestrated the expulsion of Team Lacoste executives in provincial, youth and women’s leagues, resulting in their takeover of the critical organs.

Although this had left Team Lacoste tottering, G40 failed to rally the President to clearly annihilate the faction from the party, giving it latitude to re-organise.

At least three provincial leaders from Team Lacoste, who had been suspended for allegedly destabilising the party, were cleared just before the party’s national conference in Masvingo in December.

Although G40 frustrated their reinstatement as provincial chairmen, Team Lacoste successfully lobbied for an election in one of the provinces, Masvingo, where a G40 candidate received a drubbing.

Results from that election have been withheld by the party on account of the fact that certain districts did not vote because of floods.

But the outcome, which clearly gives a Team Lacoste candidate a wide victory, has buoyed Mnangagwa’s camp, which is now plotting to retake the Women’s and Youth Leagues as well as the provincial structures.

There is already discord in the Women’s League, where members are agitating for the expulsion of treasurer, Sarah Mahoka, and secretary for information, Eunice Sandi Moyo.
Sources said Youth League boss, Kudzanai Chipanga, who is linked to G40, is one of the key targets of Team Lacoste.

Chipanga replaced Pupurai Togarepi, who was relieved of his duties for allegedly supporting Mnangagwa’s bid for power.

According to sources, Team Lacoste is taking advantage of the logistical nightmares surrounding the Matobo event to fight Chipanga.

A source said it was clear Mnangagwa’s faction was “fighting hard to regain control of the Youth League”, but indicated that it may find it difficult to claim a stake in the Women’s League.

District chairpersons in Harare are currently understood to be preparing a petition against the interim Harare provincial youth chairman, Edson Takataka.

“We spent the night sleeping in the open, exposed to mosquito bites. There was no food and when we tried to call our national leaders to air our grievances, they were not answering our calls. They think they are wise and we are fools, but we are getting them,” said one district youth chair who claimed to be speaking on behalf of a number of disgruntled colleagues. -Financial Gazette