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Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
THE Zanu-PF Midlands provincial executive has passed a vote of no confidence on incumbent provincial chairperson Cde Jason Machaya, accusing him of, among other issues, fanning factionalism and failing to resolve party squabbles emanating from the party’s district structures.
Cde Machaya is also accused of violating the Zanu-PF constitution after he allegedly failed to hold provincial executive meetings and allowed the province to go for over six months without a standing executive.
The vote of no confidence was passed by 44 members out of 50 during a provincial executive meeting held yesterday at the Midlands Conference and Convention Centre, about 10km outside Gweru.
Zanu-PF Provincial Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Cornelius Mpereri moved the motion and was seconded by Provincial Youth Vice Chairperson, Cde Prosper Machando.
Cde Machaya’s deputy, Cde Kizito Chivamba, immediately assumed the top position on an interim basis while the province waits for a possible election to appoint a substantive chairperson.
In his report, Cde Mpereri alleged that Cde Machaya was fanning factionalism as well as snubbing the party’s major meetings, a move suspected to have been an act of sabotage.
“As the provincial executive, we moved a motion to pass a vote of no confidence on the Chairman Cde Machaya in line with article 29 Article 251 of the party constitution.
The reasons for the vote of no confidence are that he’s failed in his capacity as chairman of the party to convene executive meetings in line with Article 12 Section 95 (2) of the constitution which states that the provincial chairman must convene at least one meeting every month.
“We only had three meetings since we became an executive. Secondly, he has been accused of fanning factionalism in the province.
Through his leadership, he is letting things go haywire where people in Gokwe are having serious divisions,” he said.
Cde Mpereri said Cde Machaya also snubbed a provincial programme sanctioned by the Provincial Coordinating Committee for the chairperson to move around with the new executive in the province in line with article 12 Sect 95 (b).
He said: “Cde Machaya snubbed all of these programmes. Finally, in April when we were suspended, Cde Machaya chaired a meeting which was unconstitutional in that it did not constitute a quorum as per Article 3 Section 18 (5) of the party constitution which states that every meeting should constitute a quorum.
That report went to the Politburo culminating in Cde Shamu suspending the provincial executive. Cde Machaya has stepped down after the motion was moved and seconded.”
Cde Mpereri said there were four district chairpersons who were facing disciplinary action over allegations of gross misconduct.
He said yesterday’s meeting deliberated on a number of issues that included the problem of indiscipline in Shurugwi where some district chairpersons were ferried by buses from Shurugwi to Harare for an unsanctioned inter-district meeting. Cde Mpereri said in Gokwe a lot of things were happening that were outside the provisions of the party’s constitution.
“Those will be referred to the chairman of the disciplinary committee,” he said.
The decision to pass a vote of no confidence on Cde Machaya did not go down well with Cde Cephas Msipa and Cde Rugare Gumbo, who are perceived to be aligned to Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru’s faction, as the two politburo members questioned the criterion used to sack the provincial chairman.
In a heated Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting held at the Midlands Conference and Convention Centre just after the executive meeting, Cde Gumbo accused the party’s secretary for Legal Affairs, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, of influencing the vote of no confidence on Cde Machaya.
He said Cde Mnangagwa was professing ignorance on the matter when he was fully involved. “Last week Cde Mnangagwa said there would be no vote of no confidence in Cde Machaya,” Cde Gumbo said.
Cde Tapiwa Matangaidze was however, quick to interject saying that Cde Mnangagwa was not part of the provincial executive committee, therefore he could not be held accountable for the vote of no confidence in Cde Machaya.
“The decision was made by the provincial executive of which Cde Mnangagwa isn’t part of. Let’s leave Cde Mnangagwa out of this issue because it’s not fair to accuse him when he’s also learning of the development through the report back,” he said.
Cde Gumbo and Cde Msipa were also accused of attempting to divide the party by dictating things to the provincial executive when they were not part of it.
Cde Machaya became the fourth provincial chairperson to be booted out through a vote of no confidence after Mashonaland West Chairman, Cde Themba Mliswa, Masvingo’s Retired Brigadier-General Callisto Gwanetsa and Harare Province’s Amos Midzi.
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