Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma, Zimpapers Writer
THE ruling Zanu PF Matabeleland South Provincial chairman, Cde Nqobizitha Ndlovu, is set to wrap up his tour of the province’s 12 constituencies on Saturday, with the final meeting scheduled for Madlambudzi Hall in Bulilima Constituency.
Over the past few months, Cde Ndlovu has toured 11 constituencies — Beitbridge East, Beitbridge West, Gwanda South, Gwanda North, Gwanda-Tshitaudze, Esigodini, Insiza North, Insiza South, Mangwe, Matobo-Mangwe and Matobo — engaging party structures at grassroots and district levels.
The meetings focused on assessing the state of the party, strengthening unity and cooperation, and reinforcing coordination across all party structures, from village to provincial level.
Speaking to Zimpapers, Cde Ndlovu said the tour was aimed at ensuring that the ruling party delivers on the promises made to the electorate.
“The programme came about after realising that, as a party, our responsibility is to deliver on the aspirations of the people who voted for us. This is the only way we can be assured of continued support and a mandate to lead, as expected by His Excellency President Mnangagwa,” he said.
Cde Ndlovu said the engagements were also meant to promote accountability among leaders.
“More importantly, these engagements are meant to hold those in office accountable. I felt it was important to engage leaders from districts across the province at constituency level, especially considering that our 2023 performance was not as strong as we had anticipated and the President’s margin was not what we desired.
“This exercise was meant to hear directly from the leadership what they believe contributed to that outcome, whether we are meeting the expectations of the people, where the gaps are and what needs to be done, as well as to understand the challenges leaders are facing on the ground,” he said.
He described the tour as highly rewarding, noting that discussions were open, robust and, at times, brutally honest.
“People were very frank, even pointing out that in some areas they rarely see their Members of Parliament despite invitations. These engagements also allowed us to address issues around delimitation, as there were significant movements of constituency and ward boundaries, which have left some communities confused about where they now belong.”
Cde Ndlovu said the meetings also provided an opportunity to brief party members on resolutions from the Zanu PF People’s Conference held in Mutare in October, as well as outline expectations from party structures going forward.
“We provided a helicopter view of the conference resolutions and allowed district leaders to present reports on the state of the party in their respective areas, guided by the Provincial Commissar,” he said.
The Bulilima meeting will mark the conclusion of the provincial leadership’s constituency-wide engagement programme.
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