Executive Summary
THE restructuring exercise which the ruling Zanu-PF embarked on soon after the
party 6th People’s Congress in December 2014 has shored up internal fissures
which have been simmering beneath the surface.
Conflict within the party has been rife following the protracted internal strife,
which culminated late last year into early this year in the deposing of nine out of
ten provincial chairpersons, the former Vice President, Joice Mujuru, and several
ministers, among others. The restructuring exercise – an ambitious project to both
clean out and clean up – spearheaded by Zanu-PF national political commissar,
Saviour Kasukuwere, brought to the fore the precarious divisions existing within
the party structures. Pitted against each other – first along the Mujuru and Vice
President Emmerson Mnangagwa factions, and of late with yet another camp - a
third force dubbed ‘G40” (generation 40) that is allegedly aligned to the First
Lady, Grace Mugabe – the Zanu-PF membership currently cultivates hate, malice
and friction reign amongst themselves.
Many of the district elections, as part of the restructuring exercise, have been
characterised with violence and on occasion insubordination as party members
have broken into violence right in front of their national and provincial leaders, as
was the case in several of Mashonaland West elections; and in Mashonaland
Central. But violence was not limited to the two provinces, Harare, Mashonaland
East also had their share of violence with the other provinces also registering
internal strife albeit in milder forms. Violent clashes as well as the failure on the
part of the ruling party to come up with enough numbers to make a quorum in
certain instances, resulted in a number of districts postponing the elections.
Apparently not only is there thick strife amongst existing members, but in other
instances there just aren’t the numbers – a situation which shows a troubled state
for the ruling party.
On the other hand, the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC-T) had its share of internal turmoil in October. Conflict, albeit milder
than it is in the ruling party, showed that unity of purpose is at threat in MDC-T.
Known for splintering and re-splintering, the opposition party‘s propensity for
possible splits is always present with the party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai being
pitted against Kuwadzana legislator, Nelson Chamisa. Although the party still
denies any rift, instances in certain areas, for example in Bulawayo following the
death of Nkulumane legislator, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, among a few others,
illuminate turbulences and power struggles within the party.
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