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Harare Bureau—
ZANU-PF Politburo members are defying the party’s directive issued last week to stop discussing party business in the private press. The members have continued to feed the private press with classified minutes of closed door meetings. The position to stop engaging the private media, which in most cases deliberately distorts information about the party, was further reaffirmed by President Mugabe while officiating at the ground breaking ceremony of the Kariba South Extension project on Friday.

But in a clear show of apprehensive defiance of the President and the party’s position, some officials continue to give comments to the private media under the guise of “unnamed sources.”

The party’s spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo is also quoted extensively in the private press commenting on certain developments in the party.
He said yesterday that he was equally appalled by reports in the private press quoting unnamed sources from the party, adding that the tone was set by our Harare Bureau soon after last Wednesday’s politburo meeting.

Cde Gumbo said our Harare Bureau was the first “culprit” to go against the politburo’s resolution after it quoted unnamed sources in a story that was published after the meeting.

He said the paper went on to quote some unnamed sources to beef up its story on the suspension of provincial youth leaders in certain provinces although he had given it the official position on the matter.

Some of the articles in which party officials displayed outright defiance included the one published by the Zimbabwe Independent on Friday September 5 under the headline: “Ruthless clashes in Zanu-PF Politburo meeting.”

In the article, the paper confirmed that it received off the record briefs from politburo members.
The paper quoted unnamed politburo members who intimated that issues that were discussed in the meeting included the growing internal strife, intra-party attacks against senior officials, suspensions of youth leaders in provinces, use of the state media to fight wars and First Lady (Amai) Grace Mugabe’s “unexpected entry” into politics.

“The meeting was about what has been happening in the party of late in the aftermath of the Youth and Women’s Conferences and Grace’s ambitions – in other the words the power struggle in the party,” said the paper quoting an unnamed senior politburo member.

“The two contentious issues to be debated and determined were the conduct and results of the Youths and Women’s League conferences, particularly the youths, in view of vote buying allegations and manipulation, and suspensions of youth leaders as well as associated issues.

“It was resolved the results stand, meaning the Mujuru faction secured what it wanted, although the Mnangagwa camp also scored a major victory by getting the suspensions reversed.”

In the same issue, the Zimbabwe Independent said Zanu-PF sources said Cde Muchinguri attacked VP Mujuru alleging that she was causing divisions in the party.

“(Cde) Muchinguri frantically attacked Vice President Joice Mujuru and asked her to come clean on allegations levelled against her by the youths,” said the paper.
“She (Cde Muchinguri) said what (VP) Mujuru was doing is demeaning to the position of the President.”

The Daily News of September 5 carried a story titled: “Mujuru prevails”, wherein they quoted yet other unnamed Zanu-PF officials.
The story quoted some officials purported to be from the so-called Emmerson Mnangagwa faction confirming that there was a heated debate on the issue of the Women’s and Youth League conferences.

The paper claimed: “A senior official from the Mnangagwa faction told The Daily News yesterday that we feel we have taken this case as far as we can go,” said the paper.

The paper went further claiming that the politburo concluded that poll irregularities were a factor in the poll outcome, but not enough to justify overturning the results.

Further reports from unnamed sources quoted by the Daily News said: “They (Mnangagwa camp) wanted the youth elections overturned, but the President said he was above the situation and knew what was happening in the party.”

The Zimbabwe Mail of September 5 also quoted Zanu-PF anonymous sources who said the party’s Harare provincial chairman Cde Amos Midzi was summoned to respond to accusations that his executive was against Amai Mugabe in the province.

In another story that was published by the Southern Eye of September 5, the paper extensively quoted Zanu-PF sources updating it on what transpired in last Wednesday’s politburo meeting.

The paper said Cde Gumbo warned President Mugabe of risking being dragged into factional fights.
“He (Cde Gumbo) told (President) Mugabe that he was being misled by the Mnangagwa camp that professes to love him while it was advancing its own agenda,” the paper quoted an unnamed Zanu-PF source.

The paper further reported that Cde Gumbo produced newspaper articles including one by national deputy secretary for youths affairs (Cde) Edison Chakanyuka whom they claimed to be a known Mnangagwa ally claiming that Cde Mnangagwa was second to (President) Mugabe.

Quoting another unnamed Zanu-PF official, The Southern Eye said: “(Vice President) Mujuru said she could not be continuously subjected to public abuse by (Oppah) Muchinguri simply because she campaigned for her to land the VP post in 2004.”

In yesterday’s Standard, the paper published a story headlined: “Government suffers as fights over Grace intensify”, where they quoted some “concerned” Zanu-PF officials who claimed that the economy was haemorrhaging at the expense of political fights.

“Factionalism and the succession fights have resulted in ministers of government discrediting and sabotaging each other instead of working together to resolve the problems facing the country,” said the senior Zanu-PF official quoted by the paper.
“As a result, it is the country and the economy which suffers.”

The quoted officials said they were worried by the fact that politburo matters had become more important than cabinet business, while the central committee meetings appeared to have superseded parliament business in terms of importance.

Cde Gumbo was quoted in the same story defending last week’s long politburo meeting, saying the party was responsible for formulating policies that directed government work.

“We have said it over and over that the politburo is the main organ that makes decisions that will direct government work,” he said.
“There is nothing unusual about those long meetings. We spend a lot of time because we want to formulate policies. The politburo leads government. Cabinet ministers are seconded by the party.”
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Cde Gumbo was furious against our Harare Bureau.

“First look in your own eye because you are the first culprits to violate that politburo resolution,” he said.
“After I have briefed you that the politburo resolved that the National Chairman (Cde Simon Khaya Moyo) was directed to deal with the suspension of youth leaders, you went on to quote your sources in the politburo saying the national chairman was directed to reverse the suspensions.
“Why do you think it is wrong for others to quote sources yet you are doing the same?”

Cde Gumbo said as the party’s spokesperson, there was nothing wrong with him giving a comment to any media house as long as he was defending the party and the President.
“I am the spokesperson of the party,” he said.

“If I say something to the private papers denigrating the party and the President then that is wrong, but if I am defending the party and the President what is wrong about that?”

At government level, Cde Gumbo said, there was much talk about depolarisation of the media and there was nothing wrong to do the same at party level.
“Depolarisation requires me to talk to everybody provided that I am towing the party line,” he said.