ED to chair ‘explosive’ politburo this afternoon, as DCC elections mess come under spotlight

THE chaos that gripped Zanu PF district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections will today come under the spotlight as the ruling party bigwigs meet to take stock of the polls.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will today chair a potentially explosive politburo meeting after divisions rocked the party since the holding of the DCC elections last week that have seen party members appealing to him for assistance.

There have been claims of rigging, intimidation and violence before, during and after the polls.

Acting party national spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa confirmed the meeting yesterday, but could not give the agenda.

Chinamasa was not picking calls yesterday to confirm whether the chaotic DCC elections will be part of the agenda.

“The secretary for administration Obert Mpofu wishes to advise all members that there shall be a politburo meeting to be held on Wednesday,” a notice announcing the meeting read in part.

Analysts said the chaos that gripped Zanu PF in the DCC elections was an indication that the ruling party had failed its first internal democratic test since the November 2017 coup.

Reports of violence, arrests and rigging were reported in Nyanga, Goromonzi, Midlands, Masvingo and several other districts and dozens of complaints have since been lodged with the party leadership.

Hundreds of potential candidates were blocked from contesting after they were labelled G40 loyalists while names of some party members were missing from the voters’ roll.

Mnangagwa had earlier directed that all those linked to G40 should not be allowed to contest.

“That created problems because some of us were labelled G40 and we suffered for that, that divides the party and the leadership cannot allow some of its cadres to be labelled G40 by those they will be contesting against,” one of the victims in Goromonzi said.

In Mutare where re-runs been ordered in some districts, party members burnt voting materials alleging rigging.

However, according to former cabinet minister Walter Mzembi the just ended polls have given the G40 some ground in the ruling party structures.

-Newsday