FACED with crippling in-fighting in the aftermath of divisive district coordinating committees (DCCs) elections held last December, Zanu PF has, with immediate effect, banned co-options into the organ.
The party also banned the passing of votes of no confidence on all elected officials as it tries to stem a major factional implosion in the offing.
In a letter to all DCCs nationwide, Zanu PF acting national political commissar Patrick Chinamasa said the party’s leadership has resolved that no co-options shall be allowed in future.
This comes amid reports of major factional fights in provinces as they sought to replace officials who have died in recent months.
Through circular 6 of 2021, exclusively leaked to NewZimbabwe.com, Chinamasa said the ongoing restructuring within the party would automatically fill vacant posts, therefore, cherry-picking replacements was unnecessary.
He said henceforth, Zanu PF national Commissariat department should grant explicit approvals for co-options and VONC.
“It has come to the attention of the department that some provinces are conducting co-options to fill in vacant posts in their branches, districts and provincial executive committees. Provinces are aware that the party is currently conducting a restructuring exercise which should usher in new leadership for the same organs by October 2021,” the circular, dated 3 August 2021, reads.
“This restructuring exercise will naturally redress the issue of vacant posts. Provinces are, therefore, prohibited from carrying out an co-options and VONC in any of the above mentioned party organs. In respect of the above it is directed that all co-options and VONC conducted from April 2021, which marked the commencement of the current restructuring exercise to December 2021 are null and void,” Chinamasa wrote.
Zanu PF insiders told NewZimbabwe.com that although the ban was also targeting branch and provincial executive committees, it was the district coordinating committees that was posing headaches for the commissariat.
Zanu PF DCCs were recently reintroduced after their disbandment in 2012 at the height of a grueling succession turf war between former vice president Joice Mujuru and Mnangagwa, who at the time was just a Cabinet minister, as both protagonists angled to succeed Robert Mugabe.
Their reintroduction has not helped matters as factional fights have oftentimes played out in the district organs viewed as the decider of presidential nominees and endorsement.
According to the Zanu PF constitution, DCCs can also potentially be mobilised to call for an extraordinary congress to elect a new party leader.