Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Warns Old Guard Accused of Blocking Challengers in Primaries

ZANU PF political commissar, Mike Bimha, has warned aspiring primary elections candidates who are using underhanded activities that they risk being ejected from polls

This comes as party members aspiring to represent the party in councils, National Assembly and the Senate jostle in primary elections which will be held on a date to be proclaimed.

Zanu PF had scheduled to hold its internal elections Saturday but has since iced them owing to pending internal processes.

Allegations have been rife that some influential members in Zanu PF have been thwarting candidates who are aspiring to represent the party.

Kazembe Kazembe, Jorum Gumbo and Owen Ncube are some of the senior members that have been accused of thwarting challenges in the primary elections.

Bimha said the party had received complaints from disgruntled members.

“What we have said is that whoever feels that he or she has been treated unfairly or has been blocked from participating should launch their complaints in writing,” he said.

Bimha added; “Whenever you have a competition.

“Whenever there is a race like this there will be people coming out to say that they have been treated unfairly and, as a party, we would want to listen to their complaints and attend to those complaints and where we find that the complaints are genuine that someone has probably been blocked or some CVs have been refused we have taken those CVs on board so that they are considered.”

Some aspiring candidates in the party have alleged acts of sabotage as CVs were being turned away at provincial level.

Bimha added that candidates who flout the party’s electoral laws or engage in violence and vote buying will be expelled from primary elections.

“We are happy that many people submitted their papers for consideration. Every member has a right to contest. We do not want people to vote for the candidates they want,” he said.

“I am urging candidates to campaign peacefully so that we do not have cases of violence and whenever such cases arise those candidates shall be disqualified from the primary elections.”