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Harare Bureau
ZANU-PF yesterday announced members of the new National Appeals and Review Committee of the Central Committee tasked with considering appeals from party members aggrieved by either their suspension or expulsion by the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC). The new tribunal, chaired by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, has 10 other Central Committee members, one from each province.

The Central Committee is the party’s highest decision making body between Congresses.

The committee — set up at the instigation of Zanu-PF president and first secretary Cde Mugabe —comes after some party members expressed misgivings with the NDC, whose officials sometimes brought cases as complainants and at the same time arbitrated over them without giving the alleged offenders an opportunity to defend themselves.

Cde Mphoko used to chair the NDC.

The members of the new committee are: Cdes Jacob Mudenda (Matabeleland North), Paul Mangwana (Masvingo), Ellen Gwaradzimba (Manicaland), Absolom Sikhosana (Bulawayo), Tabitha Kanengoni (Mashonaland Central), Sydney Sekeramayi (Mashonaland East), Douglas Mombeshora (Mashonaland West), Tambudzani Mohadi (Matabeleland South), Melody Dziva (Midlands) and Sabina Thembani (Harare).

Speaking after a Zanu-PF Politburo meeting in Harare yesterday, party spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said an aggrieved cadre was free to appeal.

“An appeal is an appeal and those who feel aggrieved will take their matters to the appeals committee but those who feel happy about the outcome of the NDC that will be fine,” he said.

“Certainly there are a number of areas where people might be feeling aggrieved and it cannot be done by the same committee, it has to go to the appeals committee. I don’t know at the moment how many have already appealed. The names will be announced.”

Cde Khaya Moyo said the secretary for legal affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, would now chair the NDC while Cde Mike Bimha comes in to fill the vacancy left by Cde Mphoko.

Reports are that dozens of party members have since lodged appeals against their suspensions and among them are former Politburo members Cdes Webster Shamu and Nicholas Goche.

The two were suspended for aligning themselves to sacked former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her cabal which sought to unseat President Mugabe ahead of the revolutionary party’s 2014 Congress.

Former secretary for administration in the Women’s League, Cde Esphinah Nhari, who got a three-year suspension for chanting a slogan “Down with G40”, has also lodged an appeal.

Cde Khaya Moyo said all disciplinary cases were still pending as the NDC had not met since the last Politburo meeting.

He said Cde Chinamasa, in his capacity as Finance and Economic Development Minister, gave a detailed presentation on the implementation of Zim-Asset.

“He touched on food security and nutrition,” he said. “He also gave a brief on measures being taken to address the tight liquidity conditions focusing on the banking sector initiatives, domestic resource allocation and international re-engagement. We are aware of the cash shortages and measures are being taken to address this matter because this is mainly attributed to a number of factors that include the dysfunctionality of the multiple currency system as the country is now dominantly using the United States dollar for almost all transactions.”

Cde Khaya Moyo added: “People have been rejecting, particularly in the southern parts of the country, the use of the rand and other currencies. Everybody wants the US dollar, mainly because of its strength against the rand. You are aware of what the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor (John Mangudya) said on Wednesday and we believe that whatever is being done will ultimately address this very serious liquidity situation.”

He said Cde Kasukuwere’s commissariat report touched on the situation in the Midlands province.

“Cde Joram Gumbo is now in charge and he will be there not for ever but just to make sure the province returns to normalcy,” Cde Khaya Moyo said. “The commissariat department will set up a committee to inquire on the circumstances that led to the problems in that province but generally things are improving and we hope everyone will work towards total normalcy.”

Divisions in the province had seen members holding parallel meetings. He said the party was preparing for the Mazowe North constituency by-elections following a resounding victory in Guruve South by election a fortnight ago. The Mazowe North seat fell vacant following the death of Cde Edgar Chidavaenzi in March.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the secretary for war veterans, Cde Sekeramayi, also gave a detailed report on the April 7 meeting between the freedom fighters and their patron, President Mugabe.

“The war veterans did address important areas in terms of their concerns and there were some thematic resolutions which they came up with,” he said.

“These were the welfare of the war veterans, economic empowerment, party ideology, threats to the party and the revolution and liberation war heritage. The President has directed all structures, agencies and officials of Government, particularly the Finance Ministry to give priority to the concerns of the war veterans that may be presented by their parent ministry.”