Prioritise Presidential campaigns- Zanu-PF members urged

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

ZANU-PF party cadres should campaign for the party and President Mnangagwa ahead of 2023 harmonised elections and not prioritise their individual campaigns.

With the delimitation programme coming soon, there is no need for MPs to start campaigning as ward and constituency boundaries may end up being altered.

However, the delimitation exercise does not affect the President as his votes come from across the country.

Zanu-PF members have therefore been called to put the name of the party and its sole 2023 Presidential candidate President Mnangagwa first.

Addressing the Zanu PF Midlands Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting attended by President Mnangagwa in Gweru on Saturday, the party’s national Political Commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda also urged party members to be disciplined and united.

“To Members of Parliament we are not talking about constituencies, there is the delimitation programme coming soon. Don’t waste your time campaigning in your current constituencies because after the delimitation programme, you might find yourself out of that area when boundaries are changed. Right now, the constituency we are campaigning for now is two in one, which is Zanu-PF and ED Mnangagwa,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda bemoaned indiscipline in the Midlands province which he said is taking the province backwards.

“There is nothing that has taken us back as indiscipline and individualism in the Midlands province. Our leaders, our chairperson (Engineer Daniel Mackenzie Ncube) enforce discipline in your people,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda castigated some party members for abusing the name of President Mnangagwa to corruptly manipulate the electoral process and to get favours.

“Some lie using the President’s name, saying I am coming from the President. Do you want the president to avoid you? The President was the leader in Midlands Province and now he is the leader of the country. So, there is no way he can impose candidates or members in party structures like the DCC or Central Committee or Provincial because everyone is his son or daughter. People should work for themselves,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda said the party has nullified lists of proposed DCC members from Mashonaland East and Chipinge because the process was irregular.

“Those who sat down and made shortlists of DCC members will be disqualified. We have one structure which reports to ED. Why should you have a structure that reports to you in your province? I heard that in Mashonaland East, they had a meeting and a short list was made. But I am telling you that the short list is null and void. We are going to do elections there,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda said as only Inter District Committee is the one that receives CVs from members who want to be DCC members.

” It’s not a group of Central Committee members or provincial members who decide. The administrator from the district carries the CVs, the PCC receives the papers which are taken to party headquarters in Harare for vetting. Chipinge, Mash East they have been caught coming up with these people or individual centres DCC. We won’t have none of that,” he said.

In the Midlands province, he said there are two by elections for vacant Members of Parliament constituencies: Gweru Mkoba and Kwekwe Central.

The seats because vacant after the recalling of MDC Alliance member Mr Amos Chibaya from Parliament and the death in July of the National Patriotic Front MP Mr Masango Matambanadzo.

There are consented efforts to block the party’s 2018 general elections Kwekwe Central candidate Cde Kandros Mugabe from running in in favour of Cde Energy Dhala who is said to be enjoying support of party leadership in Kwekwe town.

Cde Matemadanda said the infighting for Kwekwe Central seat was wrong and will split the vote.

“We have started fighting on our own in Kwekwe Central. We should be working together to take back the seats. We are saying membership matters and not being close or related to someone in leadership positions,” he said.

Cde Matemadanda said that is the reason why President Mnangagwa appointed little known new Energy and Power Development Minister Soda Zhemu into his Cabinet.

“Cde Soda was taken and put in Cabinet and it shows you how far President Mnangagwa is in terms of working with everyone in the party. But you here, why is it that you just want to put your friends and relatives in positions? We will hold primary elections for the by-elections so that one who is wanted by the people stands for the party. We need to you to serve the people and not individuals,” he said.