The primary election process has always been a difficult process for the party in previous periods leading up to elections.

Most of the party’s so-called bigwigs have fallen by the wayside, losing the right to represent the party at general elections to little known members of the party.

It has emerged that Zanu PF is not yet ready to hold primaries as the party is unsure how many constituencies were likely to be parcelled out of the delimitation exercise that will follow the conclusion of the constitution-making process.

Sources in Zanu PF told the Daily News yesterday the party’s commissariat was non-committal at the moment as to when the primaries would be held.

Party political commissar, Webster Shamu refused to shed light on the matter when contacted by this newspaper yesterday.

“I cannot talk to you at the moment,” Shamu said. “In fact, I do not want to talk to you and your people at the Daily News,” he added.

But sources in the party say Shamu and other Zanu PF members in cabinet were miffed by the outcome of the cabinet ratings done by the Daily News last December.

Shamu was rated as one of the ministers who performed far below average.

“We have tried to find out from Shamu when these primaries will be held,” said a source. 

“The problem is that the commissar (Shamu) is taking his time to announce the primaries. He is not telling party members why there are these delays.

“He does not appreciate that some of us need to prepare for both these primaries and the main election. Some of us are against this principle of preparing for the elections just three months after the dates of the elections have been announced by the president,” said the source.

Another source argued that most of the bigwigs had not adequately prepared themselves to contest in primaries, hence the lobby for delays in holding the elections.

“They are not prepared to face the people to beg them for another term of office given that they did nothing for the people, hence you have this lobby of saying there is Operation Gara Pauri Ipapo (Operation Stay Where You Are),” the source said.

The Daily News understands Shamu’s commissariat wants to conduct primary elections only after the holding of the constitutional referendum.

Traditionally, Zanu PF fields candidates in primary elections at the completion of the delimitation exercise.

Delimitation which creates constituent boundaries sets out the number of constituencies to be fielded in a particular election.

And Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs, in this case, Emmerson Mnangagwa, deals directly with the issues of primaries although the commissariat and administration make the formal announcement to party members.

By Daily News