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HARARE – Deputy
Power Development Minister Hubert Nyanhongo will not be elected ZANU PF
chairman for Harare province because of his links to a party faction led by
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, sources told ZimOnline at the weekend. Nyanhongo, who is
the only Member of Parliament from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party in
Harare province, is appealing the results of last week’s provincial election in
which he polled 807 votes but lost to Amos Midzi who got 1 052 votes. A senior ZANU PF
official speaking on condition of anonymity said although Nyanhongo is
contesting the results his links to Mnangagwa has cost him the coverted prize. "Even if
Nyanhongo has appealed last week's results he will not be able to topple Midzi
from the post," the source said. "He has serious
links with Mnangagwa and everyone in the party knows that. He is a Mnangagwa
front, he spends his time at his farm in Kwekwe.” ZANU PF, whose power
is on the wane after it was defeated by the MDC in elections last year, is
riven by factionalism much of it linked to the unresolved issue of Mugabe’s
succession. Two camps, one led
by former army commander Solomon Mujuru and the other by Mnangagwa, are
fighting for control of the party when and if Mugabe retires. "If Nyanhongo
had won that post that would have somewhat tilted the power balance between
general Solomon's Mujuru's camp and Mnangagwa's camp and that cannot be allowed
to happen," the source said. Under the ZANU PF
structures, Mnangagwa is the party's secretary for legal affairs making him
number five in the organisation behind Mugabe, vice-president Joice Mujuru,
national chairman John Nkomo and Didymus Mutasa who is the party's secretary
for administration. Although Nyanhongo
was not reachable for comment at the weekend, last week he said he was awaiting
response from the party hierarchy on his appeal. The source said
Mugabe was "well aware of the Nyanhongo's links to Mnangagwa and Ngwena
cannot be trusted, but mudhara (the old man) wants him to continue his
ambitions of being elected to the presidium, but he is fully aware that he is
not popular in the party so he will not be elected anywhere near the
presidum." – ZimOnline |