Andrew
Sunday Mail Reporters
ZANU PF managed to prove the efficiency of its mobilisation drive during by-elections held since the 2018 elections by eating into its competitors’ strongholds, an ominous sign for the opposition ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections, statistics show.
Since 2018, a total of 33 by-elections for National Assembly seats were held in predominantly opposition strongholds following the split of the MDC Alliance.
MDC-T leader, Mr Douglas Mwonzora, recalled most legislators who had declared allegiance to Mr Nelson Chamisa’s CCC.
In a notice on October 20, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced that all National Assembly and Local Government by-elections would be suspended effective November 1.
While the opposition has for long regarded urban areas, particularly Harare, as its fortress, the ruling party made significant inroads into these territories. Of the 28 former opposition seats that were up for grabs during the March 26 by-elections, ZANU PF snatched two – Mutasa South in Manicaland and Epworth in Harare – from its rivals.
On the other hand, it retained all its seats that fell vacant due to deaths of its legislators and reassignments.
Losing support
An analysis of the by-elections conducted by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, a coalition of 37 non-governmental organisations formed to coordinate activities pertaining to elections, indicates that the CCC lost relatively more support than ZANU PF during the period.
It lost a combined 193 963 voters compared to ZANU PF’s 104 506 voters. Turnout is usually relatively low during by-elections.
Political analyst, Mr Noah Paurosi Dzivaguru, who is executive director of Global Economics 2020 Consultancy Group, said everything points to a ZANU PF victory in the 2023 plebiscite. He said President Mnangagwa had reformed ZANU PF’s outlook, from being conservative or rigidly ideological to embracing liberal views and being accommodative to all, while maintaining its founding values.
“President Mnangagwa has canvassed for support from the young, old, the Diaspora and women. His strategy that we are leaving no one and no place behind has really been a woo factor. He is winning the hearts and minds of the electorate,” Mr Dzivaguru said.
“ZANU PF, in its wisdom, is embracing all and providing for all. Basic needs such as water, food, health, roads and electricity are being provided to the people better than before.”
Preparations
Zanu PF seems to be way ahead of its competitors in terms of preparations for next year’s plebiscite.
According to the Central Committee Report released at the just-ended 7th National People’s Congress, the ruling party has more than 4,2 million registered members following its restructuring exercise in 2021.
“This programme (restructuring) saw creation of cells, branches, districts, DDCs and provincial executives. The programme also culminated in the formation of the new national Women, Youth and War Veterans League executives,” the report reads.
“This subsequently led to the elections of Central Committee members in preparation of the 7th National People’s Congress. Most significantly, the restructuring exercise witnessed the re-introduction of the District Coordinating Committees (DCCS) and also the War Veterans League.
“The statistics indicate that the party has 84 917 cell structures, which translate to a membership of 4 245 850 people.”
At the recent Congress, President Mnangagwa, who was re-elected as First Secretary of ZANU PF, was also endorsed as the party’s sole candidate for the 2023 elections.
Most importantly, the party’s critical organs have been reconstituted with experienced stalwarts, the youth and some of the members who fell out of favour during the turbulent period preceding the November 2017 political transition. Old cadres are now coalescing around the party and President Mnangagwa’s candidature.
Embracing all
In his closing remarks at the Congress, President Mnangagwa declared:
“Tose tinokwana muhomwe yeZANU PF (Everyone fits into the ZANU PF pocket.”
He added: “Party structures and the leadership at every level must resist the temptation to ‘close out’ any individuals or group of persons from coming into ZANU PF on the basis of labels, prejudices and preferences, or even for the self-preservation of a few.”
This has been the philosophy he has been using to unite the party to become as formidable as it was before.
At the 7th National People’s Congress, ZANU PF’s First Secretary appointed former ZANU Ndonga leader, Cde Wilson Khumbula – a former MP of Chipinge West – into the Central Committee, representing Manicaland.
For Harare, he picked former Harare Provincial Affairs Minister Miriam Chikukwa.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Cde Khumbula said the President’s policies had made it easy for him to leave his party and join ZANU PF.
“President Mnangagwa is a God-chosen leader. He is uniting the people of Zimbabwe to be one regardless of political affiliation. We have to support his efforts so that we have a greater Zimbabwe,” he said.
Others like Cde Nicholas Goche also bounced back, while Lewis Matutu, the former Deputy Secretary of the Youth League who was demoted, has, however, been rehabilitated and brought back into the fold after being elected as a Central Committee member.
Appointed into the newly formed Council of Elders was Ambassador Aaron Maboyi, who had been in the political doldrums after serving as Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for just a few weeks.
He was appointed by former President Robert Mugabe in October 2017, only for his appointment to fall by the wayside after Operation Restore Legacy led to a change of guard in November of that year.
“He is an all-embracing leader. I am very happy about my appointment to the Council of Elders. We are a mature party and we are going to win resoundingly in the 2023 harmonised elections under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa,” Ambassador Maboyi said.
Unity
While some opposition parties have continued to split and failed to reconcile, ZANU PF seemed to have been forging even stronger bonds among party cadres.
The restructuring of the party organs before the Congress was largely incident-free.
President Mnangagwa has continued to rally party members to be united.
Because of unity, ZANU PF will remain “strong, alive and unstoppable”, said President Mnangagwa.
In his closing remarks at the Congress, President Mnangagwa revealed that ZANU PF will soon launch its manifesto, while party regalia had been secured and was awaiting distribution.
“The party election manifesto will soon be launched, while the requisite election campaign material and resources are ready and will be distributed in due course. More efficient distribution modalities are in place that will ensure that the party regalia reaches the ordinary party members at the cell and village levels. This will include distribution at cell level,” said President Mnangagwa.
Online Reporter