By Blessing Zulu
The Zanu PF politburo is expected to meet next week and possibly deliberate on rising tensions in the ruling party owing to factionalism ahead of the party’s annual conference in Victoria Falls in December.
Senior and junior members have been openly trading barbs with some youths engaging in physical violence as the party restructures ahead of the conference.
All this follows the ousting of members alledly aligned to expelled former vice president Joice Mujuru.
There are tensions in Manicaland, Harare, Masvingo, Mashonaland East, West and Central as political temperatures rise.
Temperatures are also expected to reach a boiling point when First Lady Grace Mugabe, aligned to a faction called Generation 40, resumes her meet the people rallies next week with stops in Harare, Midlands and Mashonaland east.
Generation 40 is involved in a serious turf war with a faction allegedly headed by vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The two have, however, denied that they herd factions in the party.
Zanu PF spokesman Simon Khaya-Moyo told VOA that dialogue can solve problems that he says might be creeping into the party.
“The party has a constitution, very clear constitution to follow,” said Moyo. “We don’t see that as clashes as such but differences of opinion.
Commenting, political analyst Clifford Mashiri said factionalism in Zanu PF will continue to deepen as long as President Robert Mugabe remains at the helm.
“The differences in Zanu PF have actually deepened and they are showing… everyone is seeing them. There is inter-party factionalism. There is a huge crisis in Zanu PF at the moment.” VOA Studio 7
