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province following the decision to disband the structures and will soon embark on a massive door-to-door campaign to recruit new members, an official said yesterday.
The District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) were dissolved a few weeks ago by the party’s Politburo and Central Committee after realising that DCCs were slowly cutting the revolutionary party off from the electorate as some leaders abused the structures. The country’s provinces have endorsed the decision to disband DCCs ahead of the general elections to be held sometime this year.
In an interview after a closed-door Zanu-PF provincial executive council meeting at Davies Hall in Bulawayo, the acting provincial chairman, Cde Killian Sibanda, said: “We have discussed the issue of handover/takeover of DCC programmes. We have resolved that since DCCs were disbanded, Zanu-PF Bulawayo province will now have to take over the programmes of the former five DCCs so that we continue building the party structures at cell and district levels.
“The former DCCs offices in the province will be manned by coordinators whose responsibilities will be to receive membership subscriptions as well as conscientise people about the party so that more people are mobilised to join the party.”
Cde Sibanda said soon after the Heroes Day commemorations the coordinators will embark on door-to-door campaigns mobilising new membership.
“So far, almost everyday, we have new members coming here (Davies Hall) for cards. As the provincial leadership we think this is a positive development for the party as people have since realised that Zanu-PF has a people oriented agenda.
“For example, through the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment programme, they have realised that the party is people driven,” he said. “They have also realised that our leader (President Mugabe) is a fearless leader who speaks about the empowerment of his people and the continent at large.”
Asked whether the party had received new members from the recent defections that rocked MDC-T, he said: “People who come to join our party do not indicate that they are from which party.”
He said the meeting also discussed raising resources for renting their sub-offices in different areas in the province.
“We also discussed logistical issues such as the maintenance of our vehicles,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion before the media was barred from the meeting, Zanu-PF secretary for youth Cde Absalom Sikhosana urged the party’s leadership in the province to embark on extensive mobilisation of people.
“When talking about building the party, we seem to focus attention much more on positions in the party while digressing from the strategies to mobilise the masses. People who vote for Zanu-PF are not the party’s officials but the electorate. Let’s talk about the mobilisation of the masses into the party. It is critical that we descend on the ground to mobilise people right from the cell level,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cde Sibanda said Zanu-PF Bulawayo province had started Heroes Day celebrations preparations.
He said they were working towards ensuring that they raise funds to buy at least three beasts in support of the national cause.
Zanu-PF Politburo members Cde Angeline Masuku, who is also Matabeleland South Governor and Resident Minister, and Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, among other senior party officials, attended the meeting.
Online Reporter