Political Reporter
Serious power struggles have hit the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) and are threatening the continued survival of this 20 year old organisation.
A source within CiZC revealed to this publication that the Organization’s National Director Blessing Vava and Chairperson Rashid Mahiya are in the process of consolidating power and are sidelining members who are questioning the manner they are running the Organisation.
“There have been recent plots and schemes in CiZC. At the centre of these intrigue is the duo of Vava and Mahiya who seek to consolidate power and control of resources by creating a cabal of a few members who would benefit from the Organization’s activities while shutting out the rest of the members who are questioning their leadership style,” said the source.
The source added that in their ploy to consolidate power, Vava and Mahiya have recruited some pliant individuals who lead organisations to do their bidding. Vava is also being accused of bullying the secretariat and the Organization’s finance officers as he wants to assert total control of resources and finances.
According to same source, Vava and Mahiya’s plans were almost scuttled last week when disgruntled leader of Youth Affairs in that Organisation, Pride Mukono, tried to convene a meeting to discuss how the CiZC is being led by Vava and Mahiya. However, the crisis meeting was aborted after Vava and Mahiya splashed some money to members to boycott the meeting.
The source further said that the duo of Vava and Mahiya are threatening to expel members who don’t show loyalty to them.
“The trump card Vava and Mahiya are holding is that they are threatening to dissolve all committees of the Coalition and replace them with handpicked representatives. Mahiya is using his vast resources at Heal Zimbabwe to identify pliant Organisations whom he is giving money to support their plan of consolidating power at CiZC. The plan is to elect Mahiya again as the Chairperson for a third term at the Annual General Meeting to be held in December this year,” said the source.
However, another faction of CiZC allegedly being led by leader of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) Obert Masaraure who is also eying the CiZC chairmanship is threatening to pass a vote of no confidence in Vava and Mahiya.
Masaraure is allegedly telling CiZC members that Vava and Mahiya have plundered the Organization’s resources and they should be relieved of their duties.
Efforts to get a comment from both Vava and Masaraure were futile as they were not picking calls.
