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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF provincial chairmen yesterday pledged to work hard to ensure that mistakes and irregularities noted in provincial executive elections held in Manicaland, the Midlands and Mashonaland Central provinces are not repeated in the remaining seven.The provincial chairmen welcomed the Politburo’s decision to conduct elections in the seven remaining provinces on Saturday and expressed their readiness for the polls.
The party’s supreme decision making body met on Saturday and endorsed results of the provincial executive elections that were held in the Midlands, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland.
The Politburo also resolved that the party will provide material for conducting the remaining elections after those in the three provinces were marred by some irregularities, including failure to deliver ballot papers in some instances.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Harare province chairman Cde Amos Midzi said they were ready for the polls.
“It was the right decision that was taken by the Politburo and as a province we are ready for the polls so that we complete the process that has already been started,” he said.
Matabeleland North chairman Cde Richard Moyo also expressed similar sentiments.
“We are ready for the elections and also happy that the party has decided to provide the materials for voting because as a province we did not have the resources,” Cde Moyo said.
Cde Callistus Ndhlovu, the chairman for Bulawayo province said they were ready for the elections.
“We welcome the decision and the intervention by the Politburo to ensure that the elections are held in a transparent manner,” he said.
“We are ready to conduct the elections come Saturday.”
Matabeleland South chairman Cde Andrew Langa said it was important that the elections be held to strengthen internal democracy.
“It is important that the elections be held to ensure that we enhance internal democracy in the party,” he said.
“That is what we went to war for and as a revolutionary party we should have these elections so that we remain in touch with the people by ensuring that we have leaders that are chosen by the people.”
Mashonaland West chairman Cde John Mafa said the province was ready for the elections and they would do their best to ensure they were held in a free and transparent manner.
The Politburo met on Saturday and resolved that national chairman Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo will work on the programme for the polls, while ministers of State responsible for the seven provinces will meet on Wednesday to prepare for the elections.
Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Cde Rugare Gumbo said the discussions were frank as the party sought to resolve the challenges that have been faced in elections in the three provinces.
“The Politburo met for the greater part of Saturday and made a number of decisions,” he said.
“The first decision was to reaffirm provincial elections for Manicaland, the Midlands and Mashonaland Central.”
Cde Gumbo said the meeting generated robust debate regarding the challenges that arose in the three provinces that have already held elections.
“There was a robust debate on the challenges the party is facing, conflicting statements coming out in the Press, mudslinging which was going on and as a revolutionary party, we have been urged by His Excellency to try and reconcile our views to try and make sure that the party succeeds,” he said.
“We have a major programme, Zim Asset, which needs to be implemented and fulfil the aspirations of the people who voted for us in July.”
Cde Gumbo said they would work to ensure that the problems faced in the three provinces would not be repeated.
“We are going to work hard to ensure that the party is united,” he said.
“I don’t know where people are getting this notion that Zanu-PF is chaotic from.
“It’s a creation of the media. It is you, journalists, who want to project the party in a negative way.
“According to the report, which we got from Cde Nhema, the elections (in Mashonaland Central) went on well, smoothly. So, everything is okay, but let’s not have this inbuilt attempt to tarnish the image of the party.
“The President was so calm and cool as a tried and tested leader and he wanted to make sure that we are all together in terms of our thinking and our approach. There was robust debate about the challenges that the party is facing. We will try and work hard to unite the party.”
Online Reporter