They were as chaotic as could be expected of a party whose hegemony has driven the country to the brink. It was a demonstration of impunity, of why one-party politics agenda being championed by the current administration will lead to why Zimbabwe, a one-time breadbasket of Africa, will soon become a basket case.
The elections had everything; from burning of ballot boxes in some parts, physical altercation in others and rigging claims in many, this has been how Zanu-PF DCC elections have been carved.
The elections were supposed to end over the weekend but were still going on in some districts by last night while hundreds claimed they were turned away for one reason or the other.
To swallow that these are the men and women we expect to reform and create a way for national democratic polls is just bitter and raising expectations for free and fair polls with them running the show is budgeting for a huge disappointment.
What is clear is that factionalism is very much alive in Zanu-PF and the fight for the control of the DCCs is a means to the ultimate control of the party hence the factions see this as their hope.
In all the chaos, one can be pardoned to believe the late former President Robert Mugabe’s June 2012 announcement banning the DCCs could have been prophetic and a wise move.
Mugabe announced to his central committee to disband the DCCs as they had become the centre of all factional fights, that time involving then Vice President Joice Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa who now is the President.
Clearly, if Mugabe was right to disband the divisive DCCs, then Mnangagwa is wrong to bring them back. But he appears determined to fight the notion pushed by his critics in the party that he has no grassroots support by having his minions in control of the party apparatus from the bottom up.
The prevailing chaos indicates that Zanu-PF cannot run its own internal elections and the party has failed to unite since the November 2017 coup that ousted Mugabe.
Factionalism has refused to die and it is clear in the fights in the DCC polls.
We hear the name dropping of Mnangagwa’s camp vowing to block a rival camp said to be led by his deputy Constantino Chiwenga and that the fight is centring on that.
In typical leopard wanting to eat its cubs’ manner, rivals have been labelled G40 to disqualify them and some even die hard supporters have been rudely excused on that basis. This will further divide the party along factional lines and likely to worsen as bigwigs fight for the control of the liberation movement ahead of 2023 and beyond.
It’s going to be tough in Zanu-PF as the fight is real and it may not end well.
It will end in tears for some in Zanu-PF and for the country in 2023 when this chaos extends to the harmonised elections.
