Back to Index

This article participates on the following special index pages:

Zanu PF primary elections set for Monday next week
Tichaona Sibanda, SW Radio Africa
June 17, 2013

http://www.swradioafrica.com/2013/06/17/zanu-pf-primary-elections-set-for-monday-next-week/

On Monday next week the former ruling Zanu-PF party will stage its primary elections in just one day. This comes amid reports that many of its senior members will face challengers, some for the first in more than 20 years.

The exercise comes soon after rival opponents, the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, finished their internal elections on Sunday, which took them a month to complete. The other MDC formation led by Welshman Ncube started their primary elections over the weekend, in most of the constituencies in Bulawayo.

Zanu-PF stalwarts, among them Didymus Mutasa and Emmerson Mnangagwa, have never faced any internal opposition but SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that Mutasa will be challenged by civil servant Chris Chingosho, for the right to represent Zanu-PF in the Headlands constituency.

Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told SW Radio Africa on Monday that the party is ready for its internal election process, rejecting insinuations that they won’t be able to complete the exercise in just one day.

‘We are more or less through, we started the exercise this past Saturday with provincial nominations. Tomorrow the election directorate will get the names and on Wednesday the politburo will sit to consider the names and we will release the names of successful candidates on Thursday.

‘We are not going to impose candidates on the people and that is the mantra of our party. Everyone is going through a nomination and verification process and even I as spokesman am being challenged for the Senatorial seat in Mberengwa,’ Gumbo said.

According to Simon Khaya Moyo, the party’s national chairman, all aspiring candidates for the elections must have served the party for at least 5 years, but the requirements can be waived by provincial committees for certain candidates.

One of those who have benefitted from this waiver is political turncoat Jonathan Moyo, who is standing unopposed in the Tsholotsho North constituency.

Political analyst Dr Maxwell Shumba said there is going to be a mixed bag in the Zanu-PF primary elections, with those that have abused state resources bouncing back.

‘It’s going to be who has money to buy the electorate. Zanu-PF MPs rely on buying votes and nothing is going to change this time. Phillip Chiyangwa because of his vast resources will win in Chinhoyi.

‘Ignatius Chombo will bulldoze his way through in Zvimba and so too will Obert Mpofu because of the vast resources they have managed to amass in the period they’ve been cabinet ministers,’ Shumba said.

SW Radio Africa is Zimbabwe's Independent Voice and broadcasts on Short Wave 4880 KHz in the 60m band.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP