Race for Vice President post hots up

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By GETRUDE GUMEDE

Published: October 7, 2009

ZIMBABWE – BULAWAYO – Matabeleland South and North provinces will hold meetings this weekend to nominate a person to fill the post of Vice-President amid revelations that at least three people from Matabeleland South were interested in the post.

The Matabeleland South Provincial Coordinating Committee will hold its meeting in Gwanda on Thursady while the Matabeleland North PCC will have a meeting in Lupane, either Friday or on Saturday.

In Matabeleland South, three senior party cadres have reportedly shown interest in the post, left vacant following the death of Vice-President Joseph Msika.

Matabeleland South chairman, Andrew Langa confirmed that there were people who were eyeing the vacancy although he declined to name them.

“On Friday, we will have a meeting where we will select our own nominee for the post of Vice-President. We will also proceed with nominating our preferred choice for the national chairman,” said Langa.

Asked which cadres were interested in the post, he said: “Let me not talk about that, but some people have shown interest. We have two or three people who are interested and if we can’t agree through a consensus we will choose through the secret ballot.”

Senior Zanu-PF cadres in Matabeleland South are the Deputy President of the Senate, Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, Co-Minister of Home Affairs, Kembo Mohadi, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya Moyo and Matabeleland South Governor, Angeline Masuku.

Langa, however, said he was not happy that the selection of the Vice-President was given to the Matabeleland Provinces only.

He said PF-Zapu was a national party, which had structures throughout the country, and therefore all provinces were supposed to be involved in the selection process.
He said former PF-Zapu cadres could be found throughout the country, an indication that the revolutionary party had a national outlook.

In a separate interview Matabeleland North chairman, Zenzo Ncube said the PCC would hold it’s meting either tomorrow or on Saturday.

“We are yet to confirm the date, but the meeting will be definitely held in Lupane either on Friday or Saturday. The people will choose a person of their choice during the meeting,” he said.

Ncube said he was not aware of anyone from the province who had expressed interest in the position.

The Zanu-PF politburo, which is the party’s highest decision-making body outside congress, met last week and gave the Matabeleland provinces two weeks to come up with a potential candidate.

On Sunday, Bulawayo Province endorsed Nkomo to take over the Vice-Presidency because he had a national outlook, as the former PF-Zapu was not a party for the people of Matabeleland alone.-The Zimbabwe Telegraph