ZANU PF leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa, spooked by serious factional divisions and an ouster plot ahead of the ruling party’s elective congress, has ordered a comprehensive audit of its structures in a development widely seen as targeting rebels.
Mnangagwa is currently battling to steady the Zanu PF ship, rocked by internal massive turbulence ahead of the congress slated for October.
It is said there are two camps in Zanu PF, one led by Mnangagwa himself and the other by his ambitious deputy, Constantino Chiwenga.
The two protagonists, who conspired to dethrone former President Robert Mugabe in a military coup in 2017, are brawling over control of the party and unresolved issues emanating form the precoup political arrangements.
There are militarised camps currently fighting for supremacy in the party structures ahead of the conference, with some Zanu PF functionaries believed to be agitating for Mnangagwa’s ouster at congress.
Addressing a press conference in Harare, Monday, political commissar, Mike Bimha, said Zanu PF has set the June 11 as the national day for cell a verification exercise, discussing mobilisation strategies and other things.
“It has been decided that we have a national cell day which will be featured every year. It is now an annual event on the party calendar and this year’s national cell day falls on Saturday the 11th of June 2022.
“What it means is that everyone who is a party member will go and attend a cell meeting, starting at the same time, 10 a.m. throughout the country,” Bimha said.
“Even the President and his family will go to their cell in Kwekwe. All provinces must suspend all meetings scheduled for this weekend so that we all gather at our various cells, and we will all be going to where we belong and be counted,” Bimha said.
Ironically, the party has already conducted reorganisation of higher structures like districts and provinces.
However, Bimha dismissed claims that there are factions in Zanu PF.
“I think in any organisation where power is a factor, you do have people who can form alliances, even by the mere going to vote, you find that as a party we have internal elections.
“People vote for a chair, there will be others who will vote for John, others will vote for Peter, but would you call those factions? Obviously, they have their own preferences and there is nothing wrong with that,” he said.
“Saying our preference is different than yours does not make it a faction. To me a faction is where probably there is really an organisation grouping with clear objectives of what they want to achieve ultimately and in this case, in my view there are people who have preferences for one candidate to the other,” Bimha said.
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