Province to recall divisive top officials

supporters during a District Co-ordinating Committee meeting held at Mbuyanehanda Hall in Marondera recently that some leaders were leading factions lobbying for the vacant Marondera East constituency.
The seat fell vacant when Cde Tracy Mutinhiri was recalled in November last year after being found guilty of bringing the party into disrepute, among other charges.
The supporters fingered Mashonaland East Governor and Resident Minister Aeneas Chigwedere, provincial secretary for security Cde Law-rence Katsiru, party provincial admi-nistrator Cde Peter Murwira and Cde Jerry Gotora.
The named leaders, who also attended the meeting, dismissed the allegations saying some of the claims were being peddled by supporters who were afraid of them.
Addressing the gathering, Cde Kaukonde said the party was more important than individuals.
“We will not hesitate to recall anyone who causes divisions within the party no matter, one is of what magnitude,” Cde Kaukonde said.
“We have suspended an MP (Cde Tracy Mutinhiri), we will now suspend Central Committee members if this continues. We are going to confront factionalism head-on.
“We don’t want factions, they are destroying the party. We need to build the party first.
“We are going to take action against senior party officials who are tarnishing the party’s image.”
He said the leadership was also setting up a committee to investigate the allegations and take appropriate action against those found guilty.
Cde Kaukonde said it was important for party cadres to stop electioneering.
He said those who continue to defy the instruction will be dealt with. He warned Politburo and Central Committee members to stop interfering with district structures.
Cde Chigwedere denied the allegations adding that he was doing his Government obligations of developing the province which people misconstrued as aspiring to be a candidate.
“There are two programmes that I am doing, that is to establish clinics in resettlement areas and to establish dairies for income generation.
“Probably people see me doing these projects and they think I am campaigning,” he said.
Cde Katsiru said he was a victim of many circumstances adding that it was his right to contest for power.
He said he was the longest serving party member in the province             with qualifications to contest for power.
“I have not told anyone that I want to contest for power.
“I am not a greedy person, most of the MPs and ministers from the province passed through my hands because it has never been my ambition to be an MP.
“People are demonising and blackmailing me because they are afraid that this time around I may tell them that they should consider me,” Cde Katsiru said.
He said the main reason he was being demonised is because he hails from Mashonaland Central.
Cde Katsiru said he had always been a victim in the province because of the fact that he is not originally from that province.
“My absence during the last elections when I was in jail in 2008 made the party lose a seat in Marondera and people should know that I have all the qualities to be an MP and it is my right to stand on a Zanu-PF ticket in any province,” he said.
Cde Murwira who lost the Marondera Central seat in the last elections said it was his rivals who led factions.
“I am the shadow MP for Mashonaland Central and that shows that I am not leading any faction but it is those who are challenging me who lead factions.”
Cde Murwira called on Zanu-PF cadres to unite in the province so that they can reclaim some of the seats that were lost to the MDC-T in the 2008 harmonised elections.
Cde Gotora said: “I have no contact or relationship with anyone in the DCC.
Besides it’s not a crime for one to aspire to be a leader.
“The people who are afraid of defeat are the ones who go around with malicious information.”
Cde Gotora said it was the responsibility of the DCC to build the             party than trying to find scapegoats for their failure to mobilise                             supporters.
Cde Kaukonde acknowledged division in most DCCs in Mashonaland East but undertook to deal with the scourge.