Online Reporter
Joseph Madzimure-Zimpapers Politics Hub
ZANU PF will not tolerate indiscipline and will investigate disturbances that rocked a Manicaland Provincial Executive Committee meeting yesterday, senior party officials have said.
The meeting ended prematurely after degenerating into chaos as rival groups wrangled and confronted each other.
In an interview last night, Zanu PF Secretary for Security Cde Lovemore Matuke said the party will investigate the disorder.
“Zanu PF will not tolerate such behaviour during party business. We are waiting to get a detailed report on what exactly happened,” said Cde Matuke.
The party’s secretary for Information and Publicity, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, criticised the party’s detractors, whom he blamed for the disruptions.
“Detractors have consistently regarded Manicaland as the soft underbelly of Zanu PF in their futile efforts to infiltrate the party of the permanent Zimbabwe revolution.
“There are elements that are woefully mistimed and misaligned. The party leadership will not tolerate such behaviour within its rank and file.”
He said the party’s enemies were employing all manner of dirty tricks to disrupt the noteworthy achievements being undertaken by President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic.
“The writ of President Mnangagwa over the party is as strong as can be. His communion with the electorate is at an all-time high, as is being demonstrated in a continuous string of by-election victories. His global standing is rising as peers acknowledge his outstanding attributes as a statesman of high calibre.
“The nefarious boll weevils attempting to infiltrate and subvert Manicaland, the province of decisive revolutionary heroism, are making a terrible mistake. President Mnangagwa has seen and crossed every shenanigan of party malfeasance. He is sure and ready to deal with misguided trouble makers,” said Ambassador Mutsvangwa.
The commotion at yesterday’s meeting prompted the ZANU PF Manicaland provincial chair, Cde Tawanda Mukodza, to call off the gathering and storm out of the boardroom at Rekayi Tangwena Government Complex in Mutare.
The meeting, which was closed to the media, was called off after members failed to agree over the way forward regarding the state of the party report that had been presented by the provincial political commissar, Cde Albert Nyakuedzwa.
Buhera West legislator, Cde Tafadzwa Mugwadi, was on the floor when Cde Mukodza ordered him to confine his contribution to what had been presented, prompting him to stand his ground.
A group supporting his line of argument interjected, challenging Cde Mukodza to let Cde Mugwadi speak his mind without restraint.
Cde Mukodza refused to budge, insisting he was chairing the meeting, and a group that was in support of him interjected to support him. The scenario then degenerated into commotion as rival groups began shouting at each other, getting emotional, becoming personal and banging desks, prompting the meeting to be called off.
When Cde Mukodza walked out of the boardroom, the group opposed to his leadership refused to budge and nominated the provincial secretary for administration, Cde Sam Matema, to take over and chair the proceedings.
As the meeting proceeded, a group stormed the boardroom, disrupted the proceedings, and ordered members who were seated and contributing to the discussion to leave, arguing that the meeting had ended as had been initially announced by Cde Mukodza.
The intruders climbed on boardroom tables, banging tables and chairs, as they insisted that the meeting had been called off by the convener.
