TAURAI MANGUDHLA
CONFUSION has rocked ruling Zanu PF around roles of the party’s supreme decision making body in between congresses – the central committee – in the governance of the country amid indications President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime has pulled the carpet from the feet of party stalwarts who previously enjoyed influence in all matters.
President Mnangagwa retired some senior Zanu PF members from government and assigned them to concentrate full time at the party as part of measures to re-engineer and reinvigorate the ruling party, but this is believed to be part of deliberate efforts to usher in a new pro economic, people driven and inclusive era in what has become known as the Second Republic. Mnangagwa is the second executive president of the country. Some heavyweights like former Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu, former Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa and former Health Minister David Parirenyatwa, former Energy Minister Simon Khaya Moyo and former Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi are now full time employees of Zanu PF.
The new Mnangagwa administration, insiders say, retired old horses that enjoyed Cabinet seats under Mugabe without delivering to the party of country.
It is also expected to get rid of individuals who are blemished by corruption allegations which undermine public and international confidence in President Mnangagwa’s rule. Overall, this new administration borrows heavily from the Chinese Communist model, which believes that transforming government functions and optimising the settings of government bodies and deployment of their functions is an important mission for deepening party and national reform.
The affected individuals are said to have not taken the decision well although they were assured of perks similar to those of Cabinet ministers during their service at Zanu PF.
Mnangagwa’s administration is emphasising on nation building, inclusivity and economic recovery and among many measures and has made deliberate efforts to get rid of the conflation between party and government business which had become common under the Robert Mugabe’s administration.
The latest clash between the ousted ministers and Government broke recently around a 2 per cent transaction tax introduced by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube. Khaya Moyo, now full-time Zanu PF spokesperson, was quoted in the media as saying there was a hidden hand in the economic situation prevailing in the country, a statement open to different interpretations.
Mpofu, full-time Zanu PF secretary for administration, was also quoted as saying Zanu-PF members needed explanation from Government around the new measures amid claims he had complained that the party was not consulted prior to introduction of the 2 percent transaction tax. The responses made by the ousted ministers irked certain constituencies in Zanu PF who are now baying for their blood.
War veterans, for instance, have recommended that President Mnangagwa fires the ex-cabinet ministers- Mpofu, Parirenyatwa, Sekeramayi and Chinamasa from the party on grounds they are counter revolutionary elements that cannot be trusted. The war veterans want Mpofu to clear his name against corruption charges.
This, insiders say, is just an indication of the chaos and confusion in the party and in government with some forces deliberately resisting the new order. Khaya Moyo however insisted there was no conflict or confusion between Government and Zanu PF, specifically the politburo.
“The politburo is chaired by President Mnangagwa and Cabinet is chaired by President Mnangagwa so how can there be any conflict in the two institutions chaired by the same person?” Khaya Moyo said, adding the relationship between Government and the party remains the same.
“Government is a product of the party. Without the party there is no Government. Government implements party policy which arises from the manifesto which was unveiled ahead of the harmonised elections. These are the wishes of the people.”
Last week, President Mnangagwa had to resist recommendations for a price control from the security sector, uncharacteristic of Zanu PF whose reflex in cases of price hikes was to control.
Deputy Chief Secretary for Presidential Communications George Charamba confirmed this in an interview with Business Times saying the second republic was focusing on market-friendly solutions to everything.
“The reflex in the past would have been price control, but this time we haven’t done that. The worst we have done is threaten to withdraw licenses for non-trading and business will understand that,” Charamba said.
He also confirmed there has been restructuring in the new administration in terms of communication of government which has seen spokesperson office being split from the Ministry of Information and more changes and austerity measures were on the way.
“When you are triggering austerity measures you must step up public communication. The game has changed we are not just about politics, but economics and we need smattering of knowledge otherwise you will come short,” Charamba said.
“We proclaimed the second republic which means new rules, new institutions. That changed the governing ethos and one key change we debated well before elections, in the seven months interregnum we had was to say how do you govern differently from what happened since 1980 until November 2017 to justify the proclamation of the second republic? We raised this with President Mnangagwa,” Charamba said.
“These guys were fascinated by saying new dispensation and we asked what is new? Anyone can proclaim something new including old people. You don’t reckon the age of nations in terms of new or old but first, second and third republic.
“Now we are in the Second Republic and the President cannot govern on the myth of the liberation which was exhausted by Mugabe. You now have to govern on the basis of new rules.’’
One such new approach, Charamba said, was to officially recognise the opposition leadership. Legal and institutional frameworks are being developed in this regard.
