Zanu PF Mobilizes Party Base For Constitution Indaba

Zanu PF political commissar Webster Shamu over the weekend summoned party district political commissars, youth and women leaders to a workshop where he ordered them to start mobilizing people for endorsing the party’s position at the crucial second all-stakeholders conference expected soon.

Some analysts said Zanu PF is preparing for the worst at the conference in the event that its demands are rejected by delegates.

The party has strongly opposed Zimbabwe’s draft constitution compiled by the parliamentary constitution committee (COPAC) and signed recently by the three parties in the unity government.

The committee was expected to meet this week to agree on the dates of the second all-stakeholders conference.

The two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have endorsed the draft which dilutes the powers of the president and embraces devolution, among other issues.

President Robert Mugabe’s party has rejected some of these provisions and compiled its own document which trashes most contents of the draft charter.

The two MDC formations have rejected these proposals saying the draft constitution adopted by the parties is no longer negotiable.

Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said his party is preparing for the conference "so that we will speak with one voice".

Interview With Useni Sibanda

Meanwhile, the Christian Alliance of Zimbabwe (CAZ) has distanced itself from some church groups linked with Zanu PF that are campaigning against the Copac draft.

Expelled Anglican Archbishop Nolbert Kunonga, who heads a faction of the church in Mabvuku and the church group with Zanu PF links, said they do not accept the current draft charter, arguing that it embraces non-Christian beliefs such as homosexuality.

But CAZ director Useni Sibanda said charges by Kunonga and his associates are not true.