The ZANU PF party last week sent a team to Murewa, Hwedza, and Mutoko districts to investigate allegations of rigging during the central committee (CC) elections held a few months ago.
This came after party members in several districts petitioned their leaders, citing alleged irregularities during the elections.
The team, which was dispatched from the ZANU PF headquarters in Harare, reportedly interviewed disgruntled members and district coordinating committee officials over the rigging claims.
A top provincial member who refused to be named confirmed the visit by the probe team to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200004664/zanu-pf-probes-rigged-cc-elections">NewsDay</a>. Said the official:
<blockquote>
The probe team was in the province recently investigating or probing CC election rigging claims in some districts. They visited Hwedza, Mutoko and Murewa.
These are the districts that had disgruntlement over how the CC elections were run.
One of the probe team members was Miriam Chikukwa who led the investigations in Hwedza.
</blockquote>
According to a petition signed by party officials from Hwedza district, candidates for the CC elections were barred from witnessing vote counting.
The district also raised vote-buying allegations, among others.
ZANU PF provincial spokesperson Tatenda Mavetera said she would respond after consulting her superiors on the issue.
ZANU PF officials in Hwedza, Mutoko and Murewa districts confirmed the visit by the probe team.

Pindula News

ZANU PF Probes Central Committee Elections Rigging Claims

ZANU PF has accused civil society organisations (CSOs) of planning to conduct a parallel tabulation of results in general elections scheduled for 2023.
According to the party’s central committee report presented at the congress, parallel tabulation of results will be a recipe for chaos especially if the results gathered by CSOs are different from those released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The report reads in part:
<blockquote>
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network and the Election Resource Centre are planning to conduct parallel voter tabulation during the 2023 harmonised elections.
In pursuit of that, they will deploy election observers at all polling stations who will also double as CCC agents.
These will send results to their established Command centres and have consolidated results before Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announces.
If ZEC announces what is different from what they have, they are planning to have violent protests.
This plan is a recipe for chaos and mayhem as well as a serious security threat.
</blockquote>
The central committee report also claimed that CCC was working with civil society organisations in penetrating ZANU PF’s perceived rural strongholds. It said:
<blockquote>
In their quest to upset the ruling Zanu PF party support base, the opposition working with their Western handlers, have employed hybrid warfare, ranging from political, economic, social and cyber threats.
</blockquote>
This has seen the opposition political party penetrating Zanu PF strongholds, particularly rural constituencies.
<blockquote>
The main opposition outfit is using NGOs and CSOs as their agents for regime change, with Goal Zimbabwe, Danish Church Aid and Plan International being on record for handing cash handouts ranging between US$10 and US$20 per individual in high-density suburbs such as Mabvuku, Highfield and Mbare.
In essence, they are acting as the opposition commissars whose activities complement those of the opposition outfit.
</blockquote>
ZANU PF expressed worry that social welfare issues, including service delivery if left unattended, may cost the party dearly in 2023 as happened “in 2021 whereby the opposition won some of the crucial urban by-elections despite several infrastructural development programmes done by the ruling party.” | <a href="https://thenewshawks.com/zim-may-call-snap-2023-general-polls-early-next-year/">The NewsHawks</a>

CSOs Planning Parallel Tabulation Of Election Results, Says ZANU PF

ZANU PF’s highest decision-making body, the Central Committee, on Thursday endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the party’s First Secretary and sole party Presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections at the party’s 7th National People’s Congress.
Speaking at a post-118th Central Committee meeting held in Harare on Thursday night, ZANU PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Christopher Mutsvangwa said:
<blockquote>
We also discussed various resolutions, the central one being that the President is the sole candidate for our upcoming elections in 2023.
He is doing a fantastic job; why do we want to change a man with accolades of performance in every aspect of life? The Central Committee is happy with his performance.
</blockquote>
Mutsvangwa also revealed that the Congress will dissolve the outgoing Politburo and Central Committee, with new members set to be announced on Saturday. He said:
<blockquote>
Today there was an announcement of the new Central Committee members to the outgoing Central Committee members.
Out of the new Central Committee members which were announced, the President will choose a new Politburo.
The Politburo is going to be replaced by the Congress so that they get a new mandate for the next five years.
</blockquote>
The 7th ZANU PF National People’s Congress is being held at the Harare International Conference Centre. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/central-committee-endorses-president/">The Herald</a>

ZANU PF Central Committee Endorses Mnangagwa

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube is among ZANU PF officials elected to the Central Committee during elections held countrywide last weekend.
The results of the elections were announced on Sunday afternoon by ZANU PF National Political Commissar Mike Bimha.
He said the current Central Committee members will attend the pending congress and dissolved while new members will be confirmed. Said Bimha:
<blockquote>
The elections were conducted smoothly with no reports of violence. We had hitches here and there in terms of logistics, but those were attended to timeously.
</blockquote>
The newly-elected members will become fully-fledged Central Committee members at the congress set for later this month.
Some ZANU PF bigwigs who retained their posts are Obert Mpofu, Mike Bimha, Christopher Mutsvangwa, Lovemore Matuke, Sydney Sekeramai, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Ednah Madzongwe, Mable Chinomona, Tsitsi Muzenda, Jorum Gumbo, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, Patrick Chinamasa among others.
Among the new entries, are Mthuli Ncube, former Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs Lewis Matutu bounced back, Yeukai Simbanegavi, Munyaradzi Kashambe, Jenfan Muswere and Mike Chimombe. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/central-committee-results-out/">The Herald</a>

Mthuli Ncube Elected To ZANU PF Central Committee

The ZANU PF Central Committee elections held over the weekend were marred by violence, disenfranchisement, and vote buying, a Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) report claims.
The Central Committee is ZANU PF’s highest decision-making body outside Congress and members were contesting for 304 positions.
In its report, ZPP said some war veterans were blocked from voting in Kadoma while in Zvimba South, Phillip Chiyangwa reportedly bussed his supporters and booked them for a sleepover at his rural home. Reads the report:
<blockquote>
Elections in Kadoma were marred by violence. Absolom Zvidzai won 32 votes against 30 for Jimayi Muduuri and some war veterans were not allowed to vote.
In Chimanimani there are 4 candidates namely Joshua Sacco, Nokuthoula Matsikenyere, a Mrs Chikuni and David Chemweisaziya. These candidates have cases of vote buying in their area.
In Zvimba South in ward 6 legislator Chiyangwa Philip bused at least 40 party supporters to his rural home.
A beast was slaughtered and other district members were booked rooms for a sleepover at Murombedzi growth point and the rest were accommodated at his rural home.
Ziyambi Ziyambi who is in Zvimba West reportedly offered voters cell phones and other lucrative items.
</blockquote>

Violence, Vote-buying, Disenfranchisement Marred ZANU PF Elections - ZPP

Some ZANU PF bigwigs including former Health minister David Parirenyatwa, politburo member Tendai Chirau and ex-wife of ruling party deputy president Kembo Mohadi, Tambudzani lost in Central Committee elections that were held across the country on Saturday, 08 October 2022.
Allegations of vote buying during the polls were raised after ICT minister Jenfan Muswere arrived at a polling station in Manicaland with a truck full of bicycles.
Parirenyatwa and Lillian Zemura were defeated by David Mugomeza in Murewa district.
Although returning officer ZANU PF provincial member Ntombiyakhe Ndlovu did not disclose official results in Beitbridge, Mohadi and Ambassador Aaron Maboyi lost, according to party insiders.
In Wedza district, former Transport Deputy minister Michael Madanha and his Foreign Affairs ministry counterpart David Musabayana lost.
Madanha lost to Esther Gwatidzo while Musabayana lost to Bertha Choto.
Madanha is a former Wedza South MP and former Zimbabwe National Road Authority (ZINARA) board chairperson while Musabayana is the current Wedza North MP.
Chirau, a politburo member, also lost in Harare to Mavis Gumbo.
Meanwhile, close allies of the late former president Robert Mugabe such as Sydney Sekeramayi and Webster Shamu won in Marondera and Chegutu West respectively.
Sekeramayi was uncontested, and so was deputy information minister Kindness Paradza in Makonde.
The Central Committee is ZANU PF’s supreme decision-making body in-between congresses.  | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/local-news/article/200001726/carnage-as-bigwigs-fall-by-the-wayside">The Standard</a>

Top ZANU PF Officials Lose In Central Committee Elections

Suspected members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and ruling ZANU PF activists reportedly assaulted senior journalist Godwin Mangudya while he was covering the ruling party’s Central Committee elections.
Mangudya was assaulted in the Harare suburb of Kuwadzana on 8 October 2022, according to <a href="https://zimbabwe.misa.org/media_violations/journalist-assaulted-and-forced-to-delete-footage-at-zanu-pf-meeting/">MISA Zimbabwe</a>.
Mangudya alerted MISA Zimbabwe that he was assaulted despite formally identifying himself and producing his press card.
He said he was detained for more than an hour, while the ZANU PF activists continuously demanded to further assault him.
CIO officers and ZANU PF security personnel reportedly confiscated Mangudya’s mobile phones and reset the gadgets resulting in him losing both his personal and work-related information.
On Friday, during a press briefing at the ZANU PF Headquarters in Harare, addressed by both the party’s Spokesperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa, and Political Commissar, Mike Bimha, the ruling party invited members of the media to cover its activities countrywide.

Journalist Forced To Delete Footage At ZANU PF Meeting

Former Public Service and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira has been cleared to contest for a post in ZANU PF’s Central Committee.
One Martha Munondo-Tafirenyika was disqualified at the last minute, allegedly on the basis of lacking seniority, after she attempted to challenge Mupfumira.
Tafirenyika had earlier been cleared by the party’s headquarters to stand in the weekend Zanu PF Central Committee (CC) Makonde women’s quota polls, reported <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/us90-fraud-charged-ex-minister-mupfumira-gets-easy-pass-into-zanu-pf-central-committee-challenger-elbowed-out-for-lacking-seniority/">NewZimbabwe.com</a>.
However, Tafirenyika said she received a phone call from ZANU PF provincial political commissar, John Yotamu, informing her of the disqualification. She said:
<blockquote>
Yes, l have been told that l cannot contest and the reason that has been given is that of seniority.
How could they wait until the last minute after l had already campaigned the length and breadth of Makonde up to Chijaka, visiting each and every chairlady, going as far as Jechenene in Mhangura, wasting my resources from the sale of farm produce, all for nothing?
There is corruption in all this. How can they protect someone who has pending corruption cases to contest in the election?
The world is watching, what would people say of us allowing someone who hasn’t been cleared of corruption?
</blockquote>
Tafirenyika’s disqualification will allow Mupfumira to be elected unopposed into the ZANU PF Central Committee.
Meanwhile, Mupfumira has appeared before the courts in a matter relating to US$90 million fraud at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and the matter is yet to be finalised.

Corruption-accused Prisca Mupfumira Cleared To Contest ZANU PF Internal Polls

Chief Nhema of Zaka, born Rangarirai Bwawanda, has reportedly barred ZANU PF District Coordinating Committee (DCC) chairperson Clemence Chiduwa from several wards that fall under his area of jurisdiction.
Chiduwa, who is the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development, is not allowed to be in wards 20, 21, 26 and 31 that fall under his constituency and also under Chief Nhema’s area.
This comes after the two allegedly clashed over ZANU PF’s Central Committee nominees in Zaka.
<a href="https://tellzim.com/i-dont-want-to-see-you-in-my-area-chief-bans-minister/">TellZim News</a> reported sources as saying Chiduwa backs Nyasha Gavaza whilst Nhema supports Davis Marapira who recently transferred from Masvingo to Zaka district.
Marapira is the sitting MP for Masvingo North but is said to be eyeing Zaka Central and is also the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
The traditional leader has reportedly ordered all party chairpersons in the aforementioned wards not to attend any meeting organized by Chiduwa or else they will face serious consequences.
However, Chief Nhema told the publication that he had not barred Chiduwa from his area adding that it was Chiduwa who was instructing the party chairpersons not to go to him. He said:
<blockquote>
If anyone is saying I have banned Chiduwa from my area, he or she is lying. I have never instructed anyone from my area not to attend his programmes, it’s actually he who instructed the chairpersons from visiting me their Chief.
</blockquote>
He said Chiduwa was the best person to explain why he was banning chairpersons from visiting him (Chief Nhema). Added the chief:
<blockquote>
I don’t fear him and if there is anything I simply tell him man to man, he is my MP and I am a Chief with an area within his constituency so we have to work together for development.
I have not reached a point of banning him in my area as I did to Chakona (former Zaka Central MP Paradzai Chakona) at some point and if need be I can simply tell him that. I have talked to his constituency coordinator about the matter.
</blockquote>
Chiduwa told TellZim News that he was not banned by the chief but the two had some issues which they deliberated and resolved. He said:
We had some disagreements over some issues but I think they have been resolved. I cannot say I was banned by Chief Nhema because if he does that, it would affect development.

Chief "Bans" Minister From His Area Of Jurisdiction

ZANU PF members across the country are voting for members of the Central Committee this Saturday, 08 October 2022 and on Sunday, 09 October 2022, before the party’s elective congress at the end of the month.
Voting will take place from 10 AM to 4 PM on both days.
The Central Committee is the highest decision-making body outside Congress and members are contesting for 304 Central Committee positions.
The party has sent senior members to monitor and supervise the elections in various provinces.
Speaking at post-successive Politburo meetings held on Wednesday and Thursday night, ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said:
<blockquote>
We are now putting the nail on the last most important institution of the party.
When all the organs are in place, and the machinery for elections has been retooled, we are going to endorse our President as the sole candidate at the congress. That is what is coming from the organs of the party.
Our democracy comes from building up from the grassroots level. It is not a top-down, it is a top-up approach.
We are going to endorse our President as the sole candidate for the 2023 harmonised elections and thereafter we oil the machinery for elections.
… Tomorrow (today) we are going to have Central Committee elections which will be conducted in a harmonious atmosphere.
</blockquote>
ZANU PF national Political Commissar Mike Bimha said the Politburo met on Thursday night and went through the list of the recommended successful candidates.
He said the names of candidates were subjected to security vetting and that there were a few changes made in terms of the people who have been disqualified. Said Bimha:
<blockquote>
All provinces will be going for elections (today) tomorrow with the exception of Masvingo which will be having elections on Sunday the reason being that President Mnangagwa will be having a thank you rally in Chiredzi, Masvingo. We have given them the leeway to have their elections on Sunday.
</blockquote>
Those who were disqualified but later approved by the Politburo are Flora Buka, Terence Mukupe, Bright Matonga, Muchareva Chamisa, Jabulani Mbetu, Tshetshe Mguni, Nyararai Sibanda and Sindiso Ndlovu, Raymond Machingura, Patricia Kuhlande among others.
Former ZANU Ndonga members were also given a nod to contest for Central Committee positions in Manicaland namely Cde Veryson Muteya, Sibiya Charity, Chido Madiwa, Wilson Khumbula, Munodawafa Chipinge, Muzanamo Kanganisai.
Some of the members who were disqualified by the Politburo are George Makunde, Manal Motsi, Alec Nyakuwara, Tapera Table, Caleb Makwiranzou, Susan Chuma, Obey Taronga Mapiki.
Meanwhile, Kanisio Dengu and Christopher Chingwaru from Mashonaland Central withdrew from the race. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/zanu-pf-central-committee-elections-nationwide-on-today/">The Herald</a>

ZANU PF Holds Central Committee Elections

First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is reportedly set to contest ZANU PF’s Central Committee elections after successfully submitting her Curriculum Vitae (CV) at the party’s offices in Kwekwe.
The ruling party holds Central Committee elections across the country this Saturday, 08 October 2022.
<a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/auxillia-mnangagwa-to-contest-zanu-pf-central-committee-polls/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> reported a source from Midlands as saying ZANU PF members in the province fully support Mnangagwa’s bid to return to the Central Committee. Said the source:
<blockquote>
The First Lady successfully submitted her CV at the Kwekwe office and she is going to contest in the elections.
It’s a done deal as there is no one who is against the idea of the first lady going back to the central committee.
</blockquote>
Some of the candidates who are going to contest from the Midlands are Local Government Minister July Moyo, former ZANU PF Midlands provincial chairperson Mackenzie-Ncube, Moses Murada, Kwekwe Parliamentary Women Representative Peserverance Zhou, former Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Edward Fundira, former Minister Francis Nhema and Breakfast Ncube.
The Central Committee is the highest decision-making body outside Congress and members are contesting for 304 Central Committee positions.

Auxillia Mnangagwa To Contest ZANU PF Central Committee Elections | Report

Former Public Service and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira took ZANU PF factionalism to a state function where she confronted her rival who is seeking to take her Central Committee post.
Mupfumira made a rare public appearance on Friday at a national clean-up campaign at Pfungwadzakanaka shopping centre in Chinhoyi where ZANU PF second secretary, Kembo Mohadi was present.
The corruption-accused Mupfumira reportedly confronted Martha Munondo-Tafirenyika and told her in no uncertain terms not to try to get her Central Committee post via the women’s quota.
Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com, Munondo-Tafirenyika confirmed that the confrontation with Mupfumira indeed happened. She said:
<blockquote>
Yes, Mupfumira confronted me and said l was getting in her way, and that l must drop my ambitions of landing a central committee position via the women’s quota.
I told her off since ZANU PF is a democratic party in which l also have a right to contest for whatever position.
She has pending disciplinary issues within the party as well as at the courts.
She must be cleared first before she starts campaigning for any post.
</blockquote>
Mupfumira is a ZANU PF Central Committee member courtesy of the women’s quota.
Munondo-Tafirenyika wants Mupfumira to step down from the post and contest in the ZANU PF main wing elections for the Central Committee.
Mupfumira is a former member of the Politburo, ZANU PF’s highest decision-making body outside congress.
She was jettisoned from both the Politburo and Cabinet following her prosecution for over US$90 million she allegedly misappropriated when she was Public Service Minister.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/ex-minister-mupfumira-attacks-zanu-pf-rival-during-state-function/">NewZimbabwe.com</a></h4>

Mupfumira Confronts ZANU PF Rival During State Function

ZANU PF has expressed worry over the MDC Alliance’s incursion into the country’s rural areas, saying this increases the Nelson Chamisa-led party’s prospects of winning the presidential vote.
According to the ZANU PF central committee report by the security department adopted at the just-ended 19th national people’s conference held in Bindura, the ruling party sees the MDC Alliance as making progress in attracting the crucial rural vote. The report reads in part:
<blockquote>
The opposition is encouraging its members to go to rural areas and form polling centre-based structures similar to [the] Zanu PF Dandemutande strategy.
This is meant to penetrate the ruling party’s rural areas, they will manage to mobilise substantial support from the rural areas, and this will brighten their chances of winning the presidential vote.
That being the case, it is prudent for ZANU PF to defend its political space by ensuring that it rejuvenates its rural structures and maintains regular interactive programmes with its members.
</blockquote>
Chamisa has in recent weeks toured rural constituencies in Masvingo, Manicaland and Mashonaland West provinces where he has been attracting huge crowds at unscheduled stop-overs.
ZANU PF has responded by organising its supporters to try and violently stop the MDC Alliance’s programmes.
<h4>More: <a href="https://thestandard.newsday.co.zw/2021/10/31/exposed-zanu-pf-sweats-over-new-chamisa-surge/">The Standard</a></h4>

Chamisa's Rural Strategy Worries ZANU PF

ZANU PF Central Committee member Madeyi Maswi has succumbed to COVID-19. She was 54.
Maswi’s death was confirmed by family spokesperson Takunda Maswi who is also her son.
Takunda said her mother died on Thursday at St Anne’s hospital in Harare after she tested positive for the coronavirus and was hospitalised for more than a week.
Maswi is survived by her husband Christopher and three children; Tanyaradzwa (26), Takunda (24) and Tinotenda (20).
Mashonaland Central ZANU PF chairperson Kazembe Kazembe, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage described the late Maswi as a hardworking cadre. He said:
<blockquote>We have lost a very hard working person, she represented the party at Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) among other important bodies.
At one point she was sent to China to the China Communist Party in an exchange program.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-199654.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bulawayo24</a></h4>

ZANU PF Central Committee Member Succumbs To COVID-19

The ruling ZANU PF party has postponed this year’s first Central Committee meeting which was scheduled for this week amid coronavirus fears.
This was revealed by the party’s First Secretary, President Emmerson Mnangagwa while speaking at the Politburo meeting at the party headquarters in Harare on Wednesday morning. He said:
<blockquote>As you are aware, our party constitution obligates us to meet as the Central Committee at least three times a year, in Ordinary Session.
The practice is that our meetings are held at the end of every quarter. Hence, this Politburo meeting would ordinarily be followed by the Central Committee meeting.
However, due to the prevailing circumstances and the measures we have put in place to avert the spread of Covid-19, the scheduled meetings of the Central Committee stands postponed until further notice.</blockquote>
The Politburo meeting was held at the main hall instead of the usual boardroom to practice social distancing.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/just-in-zanu-pf-postpones-central-committee-meeting/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Herald</a></h4>

ZANU PF Central Committee Meeting Postponed

The ruling ZANU PF party has acknowledged that things have fallen apart in the country but refused to take the blame for the situation, instead, passing the buck onto the opposition <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/MDC_Alliance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MDC Alliance</a>.
The <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zanu-PF_Central_Committee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Central Committee</a> presented a report to the 18th national people’s conference held in <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Goromonzi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goromonzi</a> last week, painting a gloomy picture on the state of affairs. Part of the report reads:
<blockquote>We know poverty is now pervasive among our communities. Unemployment remains a challenge. The health services sector, which underpins the wellness of our people, has become inadequate. Livelihoods remain fragile.</blockquote>
The report went on to highlight the political challenges faced in 2019 driven by the “immature” opposition MDC-A.
The opposition was blamed for focusing “its energies on disruptive political behaviour, which is misguided and unpatriotic, in an effort to effect regime change with the unholy alliance with the G40 misguided elements”.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/12/zanu-pf-feels-the-heat/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

ZANU PF Admits 'Things Have Fallen Apart'

The ruling ZANU PF party’s main source of funding is donations from unnamed donors, which accounted for 57,3% ($36 961 751,00) of its revenue in 2019.
This was revealed in the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zanu-PF_Central_Committee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">central committee</a> report to the 18th people’s conference, which also indicated that in 2019, the party spent nearly $14 million on ministerial packages for its full-time <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zanu-PF_Politiburo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">politburo</a> workers and monthly allowances for central committee members. Part of the report reads:
<blockquote>Salaries were $13 966 701, (from $5 573 329 in 2018) there was an increase of 150,6% on salaries due to the cost of living adjustments for staff and allowances introduced for central committee members.</blockquote>
The party resolved to avail financial rewards to former cabinet ministers who are now full-time employees at its headquarters equivalent to what serving ministers earn.
The central committee report also disclosed that ZANU PF owes suppliers a staggering $10 million, and its creditors include telephone companies ($1.5 million and the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Harare_City_Council" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harare City Council</a> ($1 million).
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/12/zanu-pf-splurges-14-million-on-salaries/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

ZANU PF Wage Bill Increases To $14 Million

<blockquote>Acting Secretary, Members of the Central Committee, Party Officials, Comrades. I warmly welcome you to this session of our Central Committee which convenes on the eve of our Extraordinary Congress, which is being held under the theme; “Consolidating the Gains of Zim-Asset through Unity, Peace and Development”.
I trust you are all prepared for the long day ahead as we transact the business of our Congress which is expected to provide a good environment for us to make far-reaching decisions that will take our party and our country forward.
In welcoming you, I recognise that this Central Committee is unique as much as it is historic in that I stand before you, addressing this esteemed gathering as the President and First Secretary of the party, subject to the ratification of the resolution you made on the 19th November 2017, which handed me the onerous task of leading our revolutionary party.
Furthermore, the Extraordinary Session of Congress itself is being held specifically to ratify the resolution of that Extraordinary Session of the Central Committee held on 19 November 2017.
Indeed, that historic Central Committee meeting confirmed your status as the highest decision-making body of our party between Congresses, if ever there was any doubt.
I applaud you for your boldness and courage as you did nor shirk your responsibilities or flinch from taking decisions that were needful, against the adverse situation that had developed, threatening our party.
You rose to the occasion showing and demonstrating that organs of the party, more so those at the apex, such as this one, must always show unswerving leadership for the survival of our party.
In addition, that determining Central Committee meeting had a direct meaning to me specifically as the decisions and resolutions made therein ended my brief exile, in the process clearing the way for my return into the country and into the party from which I had been illegally, summarily dismissed.
I am truly grateful to you who made that happen and took a further step as you resolved to elevate me to be the President and First Secretary of the party; I am deeply humbled by that show of confidence which I hope to justify by giving my utmost best.
I further recall most heartily how much you placed me uppermost in your thoughts when I was taken ill in August this year. That I am alive and fully recovered attests to how your prayers were heard and to the faithfulness of our Almighty God.
Indeed the hardest crises and setbacks turn out much lighter and more bearable with overwhelming support from comrades such as yourselves, who become true keepers of our destiny.
Comrade members of the Central Committee, In moving forward, let us recognise and acknowledge the achievements that our party has made to date as led by my predecessor, the Former President and First Secretary, Cde R. G. Mugabe.
In so doing, however, let us not lose sight of the need to move purposefully forward, to repair the party and put it on a vibrant keel. The Central Committee, as the highest decision-making body between Congresses, must assume full responsibility of this mammoth task of re-engineering our party.
This responsibility must never be abdicated or usurped for expediency. Not so much to feel pompous and indispensable, but to realise and wake up to the heavy responsibilities which it should discharge.
As members of the Central Committee, we must realise that our temperament and judgment become the temperament and judgment of our party, and in-turn set the pace and tone of our party. Our thinking becomes the thinking of the party; our actions, too, become the actions of the party.
Conversely, our missteps become the missteps of our party; our acts — whether of commission or of omission — become the acts of our party. Being the party of national liberation, national unity, peace and development, our deeds or misdeeds reverberate throughout our nation because we are the leaders.
This is the heavy responsibility we in here all carry. I make the above observation in view of recent developments in our party, and which also became developments which affected our nation in a major way.
This is with reference to attempts by a cabal of counter-revolutionaries, infiltrators and foreign agents who went under the moniker of G40, to destabilise our party and hijack our revolution.
As a result of their activities, the negative development in our party echoed throughout our nation, confirming that the stability of the country is inextricably tied to the stability of Zanu-PF.
Thus, we must draw lessons from all this, including hard and uncomfortable ones which have come to pass. It was indeed disheartening as party structures seemed helpless as the cabal pursued its sinister programmes using platforms, structures and the personnel of our party.
The Interface rallies
The majority of us thought the interface rallies were for mobilising Zanu-PF, no, no, it was an agenda. They undermined party rules and procedures while pretending to be upholding and defending them.
They undermined the leadership of the party while pretending to love and defend it. Their programme, therefore, was one of subverting the party from within. A key lesson to draw from all this is how important it is to remain vigilant in the party.
This means insisting on and ensuring the supremacy of the party by foregrounding its values and its ethos; by upholding its rules and its procedures, indeed by respecting its structures and procedures, indeed by respecting its structures and processes.
All these must reign supreme at all times, taking precedence over individual status, wishes or predilections. Never again, should the Central Committee watch while indiscipline, personalisation and abuse of the party and its structures take root.
From the past events within our party, it must henceforth be ingrained in all of us that the party constitution is supreme and must be followed without deviation, to the spirit and letter; and that no one individual or groups of individuals are superior to it.
The constitution is the soul of our party, a straitjacket that prunes our behaviour and conduct as members; it moulds us so that we do not break, for it gives us shape and form.
The duty of every genuine cadre of the party is to ensure that this holds true at every level of the party, at all times and in all situations and circumstances. The trying times we went through as a party undoubtedly tested our resilience.
Events preceding this Congress also allowed our qualities as the party to show and shine, principally the quality that enables us to show mercy on those that genuinely erred, while working hard to rehabilitate them in order to reintegrate them into the party fold.
In this regard, we have been able, in a very short time, to rid contradictions, however, antagonistic, and to mend broken relations so that we move forward in unity and newfound harmony within the party. In this vein, I exhort the party to outgrow the urge for vengeance and vindictiveness so it rebuilds and moves forward around this abiding ethic of mercy and forgiveness.
Let us say NO to retribution, albeit remaining vigilant. As the curtain comes down on our Extraordinary Congress tomorrow, it will be expected that you who represent the highest body outside Congress, will show the way through discipline, respect for the constitution, exemplary conduct, and restraint from excesses and inspire magnanimity.
As you are all aware, I am completing the term of my predecessor and our past President and First Secretary Cde R. G. Mugabe. Between now and the next elections is a few months.
Given that overbearing fact we cannot afford divisions which weaken our focus while they dissipate our collective energies in wasteful intra-party conflicts. We need every vote including that of our members who may have been misled by the cabal, and whom we must now rehabilitate and bring back into the party fold.
Lest there is confusion, may I point out that the Extraordinary Congress we are set to have tomorrow is not an elective one in respect of the Central Committee and all other organs of the party.
The congress will therefore extend the tenure of you the current Central Committee Members, which would have ordinarily expired in 2019, by another five years! This means that luckily, you here now stand to serve the party for another five more uninterrupted years until the next congress which falls due in 2022.
I hope this clarification allays all anxieties and stops the jostling that had begun to negatively affect the party. Meanwhile, provinces will be permitted to fill vacancies where they exist.
The Extraordinary Congress we hold tomorrow will fundamentally be, by no means a form of celebration, but it marks the beginning of hard honest work that is ensuing, of rebuilding all organs of our party from the cell upwards. These must now be inspired not just for a thunderous showing, but as part of our broader return to full vibrancy.
I am particularly concerned with the situation in both the Women and Youth Leagues which were the greatest victims of the counter revolutionaries who had captured the party. These two vital organs of our party must receive our urgent, but compassionate attention so we put them back on the rails.
In respect of the Youth League, conscious effort must be made to ensure vigorous interventions from the commissariat so that the youths reconnect with the ethos of the struggle and the value system of the party as it has evolved over the years.
Regarding the Women’s League, I will tomorrow announce the new leadership. The Extraordinary Congress equally marks a shift in paradigm of the party as we, more than ever before, concern ourselves with the bread and butter issues that affect our people we lead.
The party at all levels must give due attention to the developmental and economic issues within their Wards, Districts and Provinces. Leaders must be truly servants of the people, moved by matters that affect the people.
There is thus, greater need going forward, for a more symbiotic relationship between party and Government ministries, departments and agencies at the grassroots level. This will be essential to ensure that we deliver the promises we make to the people as the party.
Party members must be encouraged from the Cell, Branch, District and Provincial levels to become participators in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Government policies and programmes. This is indeed in line with the tenets of participatory democracy and governance, which the national constitution exhorts us to encourage.
Furthermore the party is fully aware that one of the major symptoms of our constrained economy is the lack of jobs. We must thus be seen to be practically empathising with the unemployed especially the youths, through concrete interventions both at party and Government levels.
Failure to which, all our mobilisation efforts may meet with indifference and cynicism. You may recall that my inauguration speech and directives to the new administration gave uttermost importance to this matter as needing urgent redress.
We will not be able to accomplish much for as long as our sense of party work remains hidebound in the old template of looking at Zanu-PF as about politics, politics and politics alone.
No more, it’s politics and economics. Let us recognise that the best politics emerge from the market place where livelihoods are made. The Central Committee must be at the centre of this new dynamic new era which must pervade all party work into the future.
Productivity across all sectors must be religiously encouraged, not only at a national level but at a disaggregated Ward, District, and Provincial level. I urge us all to think, sleep, dream and walk productivity.
To this end, all our party members must be encouraged to do the same. Accordingly in today’s agenda we will receive a report from the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement on the state of our agricultural sector and the interventions that we have in store.
The lessons and successes from Command Agriculture and the Presidential Inputs Scheme must embolden us to know that we can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges as a nation if we are disciplined, united, purposeful and hardworking. We shall be briefed by our new Minister Air Marshall Perrance Shiri.
Furthermore, communities and the party membership must always be kept abreast of the opportunities availed through the various interventions, policies and programmes that Government will implement from time to time. Let us be a party and leadership which has the people in mind, which puts the interests of the people we lead ahead of our own.
In this regard let us shun corruption and temptations towards self-gain and self-interest. The corrupt tendencies that had in the recent past gripped our nation will not and cannot be allowed to continue. We must thus deal with corruption within the party and corruption in all spheres of public life and business practices.
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said, ‘‘widespread corruption in high places breeds poverty.’’ We cannot thus in all clear conscience ever condone or ignore corruption as it has the deleterious effect on our nation and impoverishes our people.
It is time that we as a party pledge to fight this evil and join forces with like-minded Zimbabweans until it is completely eradicated from our society. I said, under the new administration, we have given three months for those who have taken money out of this country to bring it back.
I didn’t say that without knowledge, I have a list of who took money out. So in March when the period expires, those who would not have heeded my moratorium I will name them and shame them.
On the external relations front, allow me to acknowledge the support and solidarity we received from sister parties in the region along with Sadc and other international bodies during our recent transition period.
We commend how Zimbabwe was allowed to decide its course and resolve its matters as an independent and sovereign nation within the confines of its laws. Going forward, we call for the unconditional lifting of the political and economic sanctions which have crippled our national development.
We realise that isolation is not splendid or viable as there is more to gain through solidarity, mutual beneficial partnerships which, however, recognise our unique national interests. Government will thus, purse a robust re-engagement process to fully affirm our belonging to the family of nations.
The re-engagement strategy will seek to create new relations whilst holding steadfast to those countries that stood by us during our darkest years. In this regard, measures will be put in place to attract foreign investment and ensure that Zimbabwe is a place where capital feels safe. It has already been done.
I urge you, the leadership of the Party to understand this new trajectory and explain it to our members when the needs arises. As I have already announced, the Harmonised General Elections will be held in 2018 as scheduled. Government will do all in its powers to ensure that these elections are credible, free and fair.
In preparation the Party must invigorate its structures, mobilise, organise and meticulously ensure that all its members are registered to vote. We will, in the coming months, be meeting as the Central Committee to craft more concrete plans with regards to these elections. These elections are nearer than what we expect.
Once again, I welcome you to this Session of our Central Committee fully confident that we will take decisions that will shape the deliberations of our Extraordinary Congress for better and stronger outcomes for our revolutionary party Zanu-PF.
God bless you.
I thank you.</blockquote>
 
Credit: <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/no-one-above-zanu-pf-constitution-president/">Herald </a>

Full Text: President Mnangagwa's Address  Before The 107th Session Of The Zanu-PF Central Committee

The article below is by Veritas Zimbabwe. Veritas provides information on the work of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Laws of Zimbabwe and makes public domain information widely available. You can follow Veritas on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/veritaszim/?fref=nf">facebook here</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/veritaszim">twitter here</a>. 
The ZANU-PF Central Committee today resolved that if President Mugabe does not agree to retire as President it will instruct the party whip to start impeachment proceedings.  There has also been mention of a vote of no confidence or of the Party not just removing him as President of the Party but also recalling him as President of the Country.
Are these feasible options?  In this bulletin we shall look at the pros and cons of each of them.
<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Preliminary Point:  Can the President Suspend Parliament?</h2>
Before considering Parliament’s power to remove the President we should first ask whether the President can pre-empt any attempt to impeach him by suspending Parliament –there has been an unconfirmed report that the President sent a notice to the Speaker directing that Parliament should not sit until further notice.
If the President did send such a notice it was invalid.
Under section 145 of the Constitution, the date of Parliament’s first sitting after a general election is fixed by the President but after that, under section 146, each House of Parliament determines the time and duration of its sittings.  Any attempt by the President to prevent Parliament from sitting would be contrary to the clear terms of section 146 and, more generally, would violate the principle of separation of powers which is one of the principles of good governance that is a foundation of the Constitution.
If the President did try to stop Parliament sitting, that would in itself be a ground for impeaching him — which brings us to the main topic of this Constitution Watch, namely votes of no confidence and impeachment.
<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Vote of No Confidence</h2>
Although both Houses of Parliament sitting together could pass a vote of no confidence in the Government in terms of section 109 of the Constitution, the vote would not necessarily result in the President leaving office.  The President would have two options under section 109(4):
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">To remove all Ministers and Deputy Ministers from office and appoint new ones in their place.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">To dissolve Parliament and call a general election within 90 days.</li>
</ul>
If the President took the first option he would stay in office with a new set of Ministers;  if he took the second there would have to be a general election within 90 days.
<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Recall of the President</h2>
Several provincial structures of the President’s party, ZANU-PF, have resolved that the President should not only be expelled from the party but also recalled as President.
There is no provision in the country’s Constitution for a President to be recalled by his or her party nor for voters to vote in a referendum, or sign a petition, calling for the President to step down.
The only way for him to be removed from office constitutionally, outside a general election, is for Parliament to impeach him.
<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Impeachment</h2>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<h3>Impeachment is a Political Process</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Impeachment means charging the holder of an office – in this case the President – with misconduct and removing him from office if he is found guilty.
The first thing to remember is that it is essentially a political process rather than a legal one.  The decision to impeach a head of State and to remove him or her from office, if found guilty, is made on political rather than legal grounds.  The Constitution does however lay down a procedure for impeachment.
<ol start="2">
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<h3>Procedure for Impeachment in the Constitution</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Under section 97 of the Constitution impeachment is a three-stage process:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">First, the Senate and the National Assembly must meet in a joint sitting and resolve, by a simple majority of their total membership, that the President should be removed from office on any one or more of four grounds:</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">serious misconduct</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">failure to obey, uphold or defend the Constitution</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">wilful violation of the Constitution</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">inability to perform his duties because of physical or mental incapacity.</li>
</ol>
[Note:  An arguable case could be made for charging President Mugabe with all four grounds]
<ol start="2">
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Once a resolution has been passed, Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules and Orders must appoint a nine-member committee of Senators and members of the National Assembly to investigate the removal of the President.  Although section 97 of the Constitution does not say so, the committee would have to give the President a full opportunity to respond to the allegations against him – he has a right to a fair hearing under section 69 of the Constitution.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">If the committee recommends that the President should be removed from office, the Senate and National Assembly must meet, again in joint session, to deliberate the recommendation, and if in that joint session they resolve by a two-thirds majority of their total membership to adopt the recommendation then the President immediately ceases to hold office.</li>
</ol>
Impeachment is an elaborate process and would take time to complete.  How long is difficult to say, because Parliament’s Standing Orders do not specify what notice must be given of impeachment motions, nor how joint sittings of the two Houses are convened – in fact they do not deal with impeachment at all.  In the absence of a laid-down procedure, presumably the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, the Speaker and the staff of Parliament will make it up as they go along.  Nonetheless the process would need at least several days to complete bearing in mind that:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">An impeachment motion, like all motions, requires at least a day’s notice to be given before it is debated [perhaps Parliament would waive this requirement].</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Detailed grounds of impeachment would have to be prepared.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">A joint sitting would have to be arranged</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">An investigation committee would have to be appointed.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The committee would have to investigate the grounds of impeachment and give the President an opportunity to state his case[and the President would have no incentive to be brief] and to prepare a report to Parliament.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Another the joint session would have to be convened to consider and vote on the committee’s report.</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Result of Impeachment</h2>
If President Mugabe leaves office through impeachment, a Vice-President takes over as Acting President [paragraph 14(4) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution].  All the Ministers who were appointed by him will stay in office, and so will the one remaining Vice-President, Mr Mphoko.  The fact that he may be outside the country, or in detention, or stripped of his party position and membership does not alter his status as Vice-President.  If Vice-President Mphoko were to resign then there would be no Vice-President, and only a President can appoint another Vice-President.
If there were no Vice-President to act as President, the remaining Cabinet Ministers would have to appoint one of themselves as Acting President in terms of section 100(1)(c) of the Constitution.  Such an Acting President could appoint a Vice-President, but only with the approval of a majority of the Cabinet.
A much simpler option would be if Mr Mugabe were to retire and appoint a new Vice-President before doing so.

Constitutional Options: Can Parliament Remove the President?

The article below is by Veritas Zimbabwe. Veritas provides information on the work of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Laws of Zimbabwe and makes public domain information widely available. You can follow Veritas on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/veritaszim/?fref=nf">facebook here</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/veritaszim">twitter here</a>. 
The ZANU-PF Central Committee today resolved that if President Mugabe does not agree to retire as President it will instruct the party whip to start impeachment proceedings.  There has also been mention of a vote of no confidence or of the Party not just removing him as President of the Party but also recalling him as President of the Country.
Are these feasible options?  In this bulletin we shall look at the pros and cons of each of them.
<h2>Preliminary Point:  Can the President Suspend Parliament?</h2>
Before considering Parliament’s power to remove the President we should first ask whether the President can pre-empt any attempt to impeach him by suspending Parliament –there has been an unconfirmed report that the President sent a notice to the Speaker directing that Parliament should not sit until further notice.
If the President did send such a notice it was invalid.
Under section 145 of the Constitution, the date of Parliament’s first sitting after a general election is fixed by the President but after that, under section 146, each House of Parliament determines the time and duration of its sittings.  Any attempt by the President to prevent Parliament from sitting would be contrary to the clear terms of section 146 and, more generally, would violate the principle of separation of powers which is one of the principles of good governance that is a foundation of the Constitution.
If the President did try to stop Parliament sitting, that would in itself be a ground for impeaching him — which brings us to the main topic of this Constitution Watch, namely votes of no confidence and impeachment.
<h2>Vote of No Confidence</h2>
Although both Houses of Parliament sitting together could pass a vote of no confidence in the Government in terms of section 109 of the Constitution, the vote would not necessarily result in the President leaving office.  The President would have two options under section 109(4):
<ul>
<li>To remove all Ministers and Deputy Ministers from office and appoint new ones in their place.</li>
<li>To dissolve Parliament and call a general electionwithin 90 days.</li>
</ul>
If the President took the first option he would stay in office with a new set of Ministers;  if he took the second there would have to be a general electionwithin 90 days.
<h2>Recall of the President</h2>
Several provincial structures of the President’s party, ZANU-PF, have resolved that the President should not only be expelled from the party but also recalled as President.
There is no provision in the country’s Constitution for a President to be recalled by his or her party nor for voters to vote in a referendum, or sign a petition, calling for the President to step down.
The only way for him to be removed from office constitutionally, outside a general election, is for Parliament to impeach him.
<h2>Impeachment</h2>
<ol>
<li>
<h3>Impeachment is a Political Process</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Impeachment means charging the holder of an office – in this case the President – with misconduct and removing him from office if he is found guilty.
The first thing to remember is that it is essentially a political process rather than a legal one.  The decision to impeach a head of State and to remove him or her from office, if found guilty, is made on political rather than legal grounds.  The Constitution does however lay down a procedure for impeachment.
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3>Procedure for Impeachment in the Constitution</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Under section 97 of the Constitution impeachment is a three-stage process:
<ol>
<li>First, the Senate and the National Assembly must meet in a joint sitting and resolve, by a simple majority of their total membership, that the President should be removed from office on any one or more of four grounds:</li>
<li>serious misconduct</li>
<li>failure to obey, uphold or defend the Constitution</li>
<li>wilful violation of the Constitution</li>
<li>inability to perform his duties because of physical or mental incapacity.</li>
</ol>
[Note:  An arguable case could be made for charging President Mugabe with all four grounds]
<ol start="2">
<li>Once a resolution has been passed, Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules and Orders must appoint a nine-member committee of Senators and members of the National Assembly to investigate the removal of the President.  Although section 97 of the Constitution does not say so, the committee would have to give the President a full opportunity to respond to the allegations against him – he has a right to a fair hearing under section 69 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>If the committee recommends that the President should be removed from office, the Senate and National Assembly must meet, again in joint session, to deliberate the recommendation, and if in that joint session they resolve bya two-thirds majority of their total membershipto adopt the recommendation then the President immediately ceases to hold office.</li>
</ol>
Impeachment is an elaborate process and would take time to complete.  How long is difficult to say, because Parliament’s Standing Orders do not specify what notice must be given of impeachment motions, nor how joint sittings of the two Houses are convened – in fact they do not deal with impeachment at all.  In the absence of a laid-down procedure, presumably the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, the Speaker and the staff of Parliament will make it up as they go along.  Nonetheless the process would need at least several days to complete bearing in mind that:
<ul>
<li>An impeachment motion, like all motions, requires at least a day’s notice to be given before it is debated [perhaps Parliament would waive this requirement].</li>
<li>Detailed grounds of impeachment would have to be prepared.</li>
<li>A joint sitting would have to be arranged</li>
<li>An investigation committee would have to be appointed.</li>
<li>The committee would have to investigate the grounds of impeachment and give the President an opportunity to state his case[and the President would have no incentive to be brief]and to prepare a report to Parliament.</li>
<li>Another the joint session would have to be convened to consider and vote on the committee’s report.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Result of Impeachment</h2>
If President Mugabe leaves office through impeachment, a Vice-President takes over as Acting President[paragraph 14(4) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution].  All the Ministers who were appointed by him will stay in office, and so will the one remaining Vice-President, Mr Mphoko.  The fact that he may be outside the country, or in detention, or stripped of his party position and membership does not alter his status as Vice-President.  If Vice-President Mphoko were to resign then there would be no Vice-President, and only a President can appoint another Vice-President.
If there were no Vice-President to act as President, the remaining Cabinet Ministers would have to appoint one of themselves as Acting President in terms of section 100(1)(c) of the Constitution.  Such an Acting President could appoint a Vice-President, but only with the approval of a majority of the Cabinet.
A much simpler option would be if Mr Mugabe were to retire and appoint a new Vice-President before doing so.

With the Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting having been held to decide the fate of their party’s First Secretary and President, Robert Mugabe, a lot of people are wondering what powers the Central Committee has and where it falls within the structures of Zanu-PF.
Here’s a breakdown.
<h2>First, what is the Central Committee?</h2>
It is an organ in Zanu-PF that can act on behalf of the Zanu-PF Congress when Congress is not in session. And as for what Congress is, it’s Zanu-PF’s highest decision making organ. Congress is basically a huge meeting that happens every 5 years, or in some cases, an extraordinary Congress can be held if called for as happened this year. Zanu-PF is scheduled to have one in December.
This makes the Central Committee quite powerful as an organ of Zanu-PF.
The Central Committee has 300 members and meets every 3 months, although sometimes, extraordinary sessions can be called for, as is the case today 19 November 2017.
<hr/>
Also read:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2017/11/19/zanu-pf-central-committee-meeting-live-updates/">“Exclusive: Live updates of ongoing Zanu-PF Central Committee Meeting in Harare”</a></li>
<li><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2017/11/19/zanu-pf-youths-want-mnangagwa-reinstated-mugabe-booted/">Zanu-PF Youths Want Mnangagwa Reinstated and Mugabe Booted Out</a></li>
<li><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2017/11/19/traditional-chiefs-say-mugabe-must-go-claim-not-consulted-endorsement/">Traditional Chiefs Say Mugabe Must Go, Claim They Were Not Consulted On Endorsement</a></li>
</ul>
<hr/>
<h2>The basic powers of the Central Committee</h2>
Being the principal organ of the Zanu-PF Congress and acting on behalf of Congress when it’s not in session, the Central Committee has full unfettered powers to:
<ul>
<li>Amend the Constitution if deemed necessary, subject to ratification by Congress</li>
<li>Call for an extraordinary session of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.pindula.co.zw/Zanu-PF_Congress" title="Zanu-PF Congress">Zanu-PF Congress</a> to be convened.</li>
<li>Make rules, regulations and procedures to govern the conduct of the Party and its members</li>
<li>Implement all policies, resolutions, directives, decisions and programmes enunciated by Congress;</li>
<li>Give directions, supervise and superintend all the functions of the Central Government in relation to the programmes as enunciated by Congress,</li>
<li>Set up Party organs, committee, institutions, commissions and enterprises in the name and on behalf of the Party</li>
</ul>
When it meets decisions of the Central Committee shall be by simple majority.
 
<h2>What about the Politburo?</h2>
You’re probably wondering what then the powers and place of the Politburo is in Zanu-PF.
The Politburo is the Secretariat of the Central Committee meaning that it acts as an administrative body of the Central Committee. Think of it as a smaller Central Committee which meets more frequently, but is essentially part of the Central Committee. Or if it were a business enterprise: the Congress would be the AGM of all shareholders, the Central Committee would be the Board of Directors which appoints and has oversight of the executive management in this case the Politburo.
As such the Politburo is answerable to the Central Committee on all matters. It’s key function, therefore, is to implement all decisions, directives, rules and regulations of the Central Committee. The Politburo meets once every month.
These are the powers as set out in the <a href="http://www.pindula.co.zw/Zanu-PF_Constitution" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zanu-PF Constitution, which you can download and read more about here</a>.

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