Financial Gazette (Harare)
2 October 2009
Harare — ZANU-PF politburo members in Mashonaland West have plunged the province into political turmoil after defying a directive by President Robert Mugabe that his ailing sister, Sabina Mugabe, should not stand for any election due to ill health.
The decision to enter Sabina's name to contest in the Women's League elections to be re-run today, has widened divisions within the restive province, spawning allegations of tribalism against two senior ZANU-PF politburo members vying to control the largely farming community.
The divisions emerged this week after a provincial executive committee reversed a decision by the party's co-ordinating committee in Mashonaland West to suspend ZANU-PF central committee member, Jimayi Muduvuri, and Hurungwe East House of Assembly member, Sarah Mahoka.
The suspensions were announced at a meeting attended by senior ZANU-PF officials who include Ignatius Chombo and Webster Shamu on Monday.
Chombo and Shamu are both members of the ZANU-PF politburo, the supreme decision-making body of the party in-between congresses.
In what ZANU-PF insiders said was a result of maneouvres by powerful politicians to thwart Mahoka's bid to be elected the Women's League secretary for finance, a faction within the party surprisingly pushed Sabina's name in defiance
of President Mugabe's directive that the latter should not stand in the polls.
Muduvuri and Mahoka, who lost the first round of the women's elections last month, are Karanga from Masvingo Province.
This is the second time that tribalism has reared its ugly head in ZANU-PF polls in the province after former public service minister, Paul Mangwana, who was a Member of Parliament for Kadoma West, was hounded out of Mashonaland West and forced back to his home province of Masvingo, where he is now the party's Chivi Central legislator.
Sabina's candidature at the women's congress last month caused commotion resulting in fistfights that saw police at one time being called in to restore order.
The party's chairperson, John Nkomo, had given Mashonaland West two weeks to put its house in order, before new polls are held.
Fresh polls are now expected today.
However, a fresh push to yet again scuttle Mahoka's election to the top Women's League post resumed when she was suspended last Sunday by the provincial co-ordinating committee for indiscipline.
In an interview yesterday, ZANU-PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson, John Mafa, confirmed to The Financial Gazette that there are politburo members who had defied the President's directive for his sister not to stand, but declined to name them.
"The politburo members are defying the President. That is insubordination. We are writing reports. Maybe the matter will be discussed by the politburo tomorrow," said Mafa.
He added that the suspensions of Mahoka and Muduvuri were null and void since only the chairperson has the power to call for such a meeting where a member is suspended.
"The story that the two were suspended is all lies. Only the chairperson can call such a meeting. I am the chairperson and I did not call any meeting. The chairperson of the disciplinary committee is the one who suspends or issues a prohibition order. He did not do that and he did not suspend anyone. The meeting is null and void," said Mafa.
Sources this week said President Mugabe had communicated his directive to Didymus Mutasa who, in turn, relayed the message to the province.
Documents in our possession show that ZANU-PF's deputy secretary for the commissariat, Richard Ndlovu, has directed Mashonaland West province to hold fresh polls by this Sunday to choose members who will take positions in the party's main wing following disturbances at the Women's League congress.
The positions up for grabs are secretary for finance, secretary for gender and culture, deputy secretary for transport and social welfare as well as the deputy secretary for the welfare of the disabled and disadvantaged persons.
Sources said Mahoka would stand again for the finance secretary post, while the rival faction has decided to withdraw Sabina and push for the election of her daughter-in-law, Barbra Zhuwao, wife to the President's nephew, Patrick.
Information at hand indicates that provincial executives that met on Monday accused Chombo and Shamu of dividing the party and meddling in women's affairs against the party's position.
Mutasa is also said to have indicated that this time around, Sabina would not contest in line with the President's position.
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