A ZANU PF Provincial Co-ordinating Committee (PCC) meeting, which was aborted last Sunday in Masvingo after rival youths clashed over factional lines, was finally held peacefully yesterday at the Chiefs Hall under the watchful eyes of 80 heavily armed anti-riot police details who arrived with a crowd dispersing water tanker. Tatenda Chitagu Own Correspondent The meeting, which was scheduled for Victoria Junior Primary School, failed to take off after rival party youths traded blows over the recent suspension of chairman, Retired Brigadier-General Killian Gwanetsa and the appointment of his deputy Paradzai Chakona as successor.
This was after the provincial executive passed a vote of no confidence on Gwanetsa last Thursday, accusing him of supporting under-fire Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
Gwanetsa’s sympathisers in turn convened a separate meeting on Saturday to counter the move and suspended Chakona, saying the meeting to oust the former was illegal, as it was not properly constituted.
Chakona and others in the executive reportedly linked to Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa snubbed yesterday’s meeting, although they were said to have sent excuses and apologies for failing to turn up.
Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire, who was recently appointed by the party to deal with factionalism in the province, chaired the meeting flanked by Gwanetsa and other executive members said to be linked to the Mujuru faction.
Mavhaire said they had to resort to police protection so that eligible PCC members could get into the meeting, as well as to thwart violence.
“We are meeting after last week’s disturbances,” Mavhaire said.
“We called the police to screen those eligible to get into the meeting. There were no gate crashers.”
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Mavhaire said the agenda of the meeting was to prepare for the party’s December congress where fundraising committees, accreditation logistics and verification processes were laid out.
Commenting on the Chakona-Gwanetsa circus, Mavhaire said they had to wait for the Zanu PF politburo to rule on the matter.