Kasukuwere saga needs closure: Affiliates
ZANU-PF organs and affiliate organisations yesterday said the case of embattled national political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere demands closure as it risks affecting preparations for next year’s harmonised elections.
They said Cde Kasukuwere, who was rejected by nine of the party’s 10 provinces, continued to sow seeds of division in the revolutionary party by making unilateral decisions yet he should have recused himself from commissariat business until his case is dealt with by the Politburo.
This comes after Cde Kasukuwere this week trashed the party’s communication channels and procedures by unilaterally disqualifying Cde Pearson Mbalekwa from contesting the July 15 Chiwundura by-election on the revolutionary party’s ticket.
Cde Kasukuwere disqualified Cde Mbalekwa via a text message from Mexico where he was attending the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The Mbalekwa case raised the spectre of Norton where Cde Kasukuwere imposed one Ronald Chindedza who ended up losing the by-election to independent candidate Mr Temba Mliswa.
Cde Kasukuwere is accused of creating parallel structures in a bid to topple President Mugabe, fanning factionalism, corruption and shutting out youths and women from Kitsiyatota Gold Mine in Bindura for his benefit.
Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators (ZILIWACO) vice chairperson Cde Josephine Gandiya said Cde Kasukuwere was no longer fit for public office.
“The people have spoken and we want party programmes to go ahead as we have elections around the corner,” she said.
“The Politburo knows that the party is for the people and we expect it to hear the people’s wishes.
“They should listen to what the people want and we move forward.”
In the Midlands saga, Cde Kasukuwere chose to by-pass his deputy Cde Omega Hungwe who was the returning officer in
the primary elections.
He instead sent a text message to one of the directors in the Commissariat Department who was only identified as Cde Gwazemba announcing that Cde Mbalekwa was not eligible to stand for primaries.
Cde Mbalekwa ,who later recused himself from the by-election, had won the primaries with 1 551 votes against his closest rival Cde Brown Ndlovu who got 1 196.
He contested the primaries after his name, together with 20 others, were approved by the Provincial Elections Directorate and submitted to the National Elections Directorate that did not contest his candidature.
Procedurally, if the National Elections Directorate had misgivings with any of the candidates submitted to it, it was supposed to write back to the Provincial Elections Directorate through the secretary for administration.
An official from the Women’s League said: “Uyu (Cde Kasukuwere) musungwa uyu and should not do anything in the party until he has been cleared. He should stop meddling in the provincial affairs because this is what made us lose the Norton by-election when he imposed Cde Ronald Chidedza against the wishes of the people.
“We thought when President Mugabe lashed out at him over that he would listen but now he is in Midlands doing what he knows best, sowing seeds of division. That is why everyone is saying his case should be dealt with once and for all.”
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) chairman Cde Chris Mutsvangwa rebuked Cde Kasukuwere’s abuse of power.
“That is abuse and personalisation of zanu-pf by clueless and disorderly G40. Why does Tyson issue a statement from a foreign country? There ought to be an acting political commissar. Kufa kwemujoni kamba haivharwe.
“Even His Excellency the President does not do that. He has an Acting President. For security and protocol, pronouncements of State have to be issued from the seat of power. What if Kasukuwere has been kidnapped in a foreign land and is under duress. Crass ignorance is the hallmark of G40 and compulsive dictatorial proclivity to the abuse of State power.”
Zimbabwe Ex-political Prisoners Detainees Restrictees Association (Zipedra) chairman Cde Victor Kuretu, said the party’s leadership should make a determination on Cde Kasukuwere for the sake of progress.
“We are all being held by this but we wait for direction from the Politburo. Whatever the Politburo says is what we are going to follow,” he said.
A Youth League national executive member who declined to be named said by issuing the directive to Midlands, Cde Kasukuwere was testing waters.
“He was testing his power but unfortunately he did that using the wrong party procedure,” said the official.
“He wants to kick out Cde Mbalekwa out of the party not forgetting that his allies (Prof Jonathan Moyo among them) once wrote damming pieces about the President and Zanu-PF but today they are in the party and some are Members of Parliament while some are Ministers. The party cannot afford to have such a commissar at a time we are going for elections.”
Zanu-PF Politburo member and a senior official from Midlands province Cde Joram Gumbo, on Wednesday said communication must be done through the relevant party channels.
He said although Cde Mbalekwa was once suspended from the party in 2004 and contested elections on an MDC-T ticket, some of those suspended together with him were now sitting Members of Parliament while others had risen to the Politburo and Central Committee.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya Moyo added: “There are laid down rules that should be followed when disqualifying a candidate. You cannot make an independent decision. You go by the rules.”
The affiliates said they would wait for direction from the Politburo.