More join Zanu-PF in Byo

Nduduzo Tshuma Political Editor
THE MDC-T’s days are numbered in urban areas with more people joining Zanu-PF in the on-going party restructuring exercise, a senior party official has said.

Party national secretary for youth affairs, Cde Pupurai Togarepi, who is heading the restructuring exercise in Bulawayo, said on Tuesday more people are joining Zanu-PF in the city, previously viewed as an opposition stronghold.

He said the party was confident of a resounding victory in the 2018 elections judging from the positive feedback from the community.

A meeting was held in Bulawayo on Saturday to set up teams for the restructuring exercise including members taken from other provinces to conduct the process.

“We’re getting a good response from the people, yes, we’ve had a few teething problems because we’re dealing with an urban set up and at times the people will be at work but we’ve put out notices of meeting dates and places,” said Cde Togarepi.

“We’re getting many new members joining the structures, like I said before the party has many supporters who were outside the structures.”

Cde Togarepi said after the successful completion of the restructuring exercise expected to last about three months, the party would be guaranteed of victory.

“After all members are included in the party structures, it would be certain that the party will win all elections that will follow. The five seats won in the June 10 by elections are a stepping stone to winning more seats in urban areas including Bulawayo,” he said.

“With the support of the provincial leadership, we’re going to be successful with the exercise as we’re seeing a massive turnout of members. The MDC-T know that their days are numbered in urban centres and don’t be surprised to hear them raising issues unrelated to elections in anticipation of a crushing defeat in 2018.”

Cde Togarepi said the teams set up on Saturday would work together in the restructuring exercise.

“All the teams will work together and will visit one area at a time. We want to do a thorough job so the process will take plus or minus three months,” he said.

Bulawayo last month came under fire from party secretary for administration Cde Ignatius Chombo who accused the province of presenting to the party doctored figures of members that don’t tally with structures.

He rapped the party’s provincial structure for providing fictitious and shambolic membership records, which he said affect strategy formulation and projection of election results.

Addressing a workshop for secretaries of administration in the main, women and youth wings at a Bulawayo hotel, Cde Chombo singled out Bulawayo as the major culprit for inflating the number of party structures, purporting to have 115 districts yet numbers in recent elections only tallied in five districts.

He said it has become a culture that provinces inflate the number of party districts to have superiority over others with regards to allocation of leadership positions and perceived party strength.

Zanu-PF won all contested five constituencies in Bulawayo during the June 10 by-elections ending the MDC-T’s 15-year-old stranglehold on the city.