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Nduduzo Tshuma Senior Political Reporter
THE Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial executive yesterday passed a vote of no confidence in provincial chairperson Professor Callistus Ndlovu and five members of his executive for fanning factionalism, sabotaging First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe and allegedly misappropriating party funds.

The provincial deputy secretary for business development and liaison, Cde George Mlala was appointed acting chairperson.

Prof Ndlovu becomes the seventh provincial chair to be removed from office in a    vote of no confidence following similar action against Cdes Kalisto Gwanetsa (Masvingo), Amos Midzi (Harare), Jason Machaya (Midlands), Temba Mliswa (Mashonaland West), Andrew Langa (Matabeleland South) and John Mvundura (Manicaland).

Professor Ndlovu was also accused of being tyrannical in his running of the party and often insulted his subordinates as baboons and nincompoops.

Reading a petition before Zanu-PF members at Davies Hall in Bulawayo yesterday, party deputy secretary for science and technology Cde Nacisio Makhulumo said the five others booted out of office were vice chairperson Cde Christopher Dube, secretary for administration Cde Elifasi Mashaba, secretary for finance Cde Charles Chiponda, secretary for commissariat Cde Canaan Ncube and secretary for security Cde Nicholas Mhlanga.

“Professor Ndlovu openly declined/omitted to announce the endorsement of President Mugabe as First Secretary of the party and Dr Grace Mugabe as the Women’s League Secretary during a Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting held on November 2, 2014 leading to Central Committee member Cde Godfrey Malaba doing the announcement,” reads the petition that Cde Makhulumo said was signed by 27 provincial executive members.

“This was in line with endorsements made by the Women’s League and Youth Wing conferences. This demoralised members of the PCC who expected the chairman of the province to announce the endorsements.”

Prof Ndlovu and Cdes Chiponda, Mashaba and Mhlanga were also accused of failng to account for more than $12,000 party funds realised through the sale of membership cards.

“Headquarters issued 14,000 forms for the cards of which 7,542 were sold by the time we went to the PCC on November 2, 2014 for $2,50 each, $1 meant for the card and the other dollar for that particular month’s subscription while the 50 cents was for the provincial administration. The total amount realised was $18,855. The money that had been banked was a little over $3,000 according to Cde Chiponda’s report instead of $15,084. Where’s the rest of the money?”

The petition said the PCC rejected Cde Chiponda’s financial report including his request to increase the administration fees from 50 cents to $1 but Prof Ndlovu allowed him to sell the cards at $3 while Cde Mashaba organised people for the exercise.

Prof Ndlovu was accused of defending the party’s electoral loss in last year elections when he insinuated during a meeting in October that all those blaming his executive were misguided as it led an urban province controlled by opposition.  The petition said Prof Ndlovu exhibited a defeatist attitude that demoralised the ordinary membership in the province that looked up to him for leadership.

“Some time this year, Prof Ndlovu and his deputy Cde Dube through the secretary of security Cde Mhlanga invaded Mazwi and (Dumiso) Dabengwa’s farms in the outskirts of the city using party members. When the invasion later failed, they abandoned the party members who are now facing imminent detention,” read the petition.

The six were accused of fanning factionalism within the party by promoting and protecting splinter structures that were not registered and aligned to known factions that were anti-party protocol.

“Professor Ndlovu is dictatorial, tyrannical and abusive to his subordinates as he calls them names like baboon, idiot, nincompoop and he rubbishes some of the members’ contributions,” read the petition.

The six were accused of failing to support the First Lady’s rally by denying people transport to attend the event.

Prof Ndlovu allegedly said, “I can’t source buses that would be having Grace’s head.”

During the First Lady’s rally, Prof Ndlovu allegedly said some people were crawling for positions when they had no capacity in what was believed to be in apparent reference to her and therefore demeaned Cde Grace Mugabe.

Prof Ndlovu and the other five were accused of failing to arrange to meet the people after their respective elections to the posts and did not call inter-district conferences as per the constitution to get resolutions to be  sent to the congress claiming that organising the conferences was expensive and cumbersome.

“Cdes Mashaba, Mhlanga and Ncube are busy restructuring districts, removing existing members with a bias towards a specific faction.
“The above senior provincial members have become a law unto themselves, running the province without consulting other members,” read the petition.

Cde Makhulumo said the portrait of President Mugabe had been removed at Davies Hall party provincial headquarters for unspecified reasons.

Contacted for comment Prof Ndlovu referred questions back to Cde Makhulumo saying, “I can’t comment, go back and ask him who signed the petition, as far as we know this is just fiction.”