admindemonstrate against, and refuse to be bound by the results.
The accusations all round were that some party heavyweights were imposing their own candidates at variance with the views and wishes of the grassroots.
An extraordinary session of the Zanu-PF Politburo was thus called and met in Harare on Wednesday and resolved that national political commissar Cde Webster Shamu investigates disturbances that occurred in the provinces during district co-ordinating committee elections.
Where irregularities are revealed, Cde Shamu has the mandate to nullify the results and conduct fresh polls.
We hope the political commissar will go about his work without fear or favour for the lessons of 2008 bid Zanu-PF to respect the wishes of the grassroots.
Though the crunching effects of the Western economic sanctions regime had a lot to do with voting patterns in 2008, Zanu-PF was in a position to shake off the MDC-T challenge but cost itself outright victory by imposing candidates at the expense of what the grassroots wanted.
We saw hordes of people camping at the Zanu-PF national headquarters in Harare, among them chiefs in full regalia.
They all wanted the Politburo to give people candidates of their choice but they were either turned away or ignored; and Zanu-PF went on to pay the price by performing badly in the disputed constituencies.
In fact, an analysis of the 2008 election results shows that Zanu-PF fared badly in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, the same provinces with disputed DCC polls today.
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Zanu-PF won only six out of 26 seats in Manicaland and 12 out of 26 in Masvingo; suffice to say these were Zanu-PF strongholds since 2000.
Given that these are the same provinces with contested DCC election results, simple deduction portends that unless the mistakes of 2008 are rectified, Zanu-PF may again find the going tough in these provinces.
The DCC is a critical organ in Zanu-PF as it not only approves local government and parliamentary candidates, but also recommends members to be elevated to the province or Central Committee.
As such it is one organ of the party that should never be tampered with as it not only has a bearing on the leadership at Central Committee and Politburo levels but also trickle down effects on party structures right down to the cell.
Whoever occupies the DCC must of necessity come from and be endorsed by the grassroots.
We hope the provincial audits will be thorough, and all disputed polls will be re-run to give people the leaders of their choice.
The next elections are crucial as voters will once again be choosing leaders at all levels of government and Zanu-PF can ill-afford the pitfalls of 2008 that saw that party cut its lips to spite its face.
Online Reporter