Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
ZANU-PF has intensified its ongoing restructuring exercise as the ruling party targets to register four million party members under its village cell structures ahead of the 2028 elections.
The restructuring process will see the establishment of a vibrant party cell structure in every village in the country.
Zanu-PF is conducting its restructuring exercise as provided for in its constitution to ensure an active database of its support base.
The restructuring process started at the beginning of this month.
Speaking yesterday during a Zanu-PF Matabeleland South inter-district meeting in Gwanda, the party’s National Political Commissar, Cde Munyaradzi Machacha said the Commissariat, working with the Chitepo School of Ideology, has prepared a programme to empower cell executives and branch members so that they know their duties and the founding principles of the party.
He said a booklet containing this information as well as development milestones under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa is being prepared.
“The President has said we don’t want fake cells where names are randomly compiled without verification of whether the people exist or whether they are loyal to the party. We want a database which will reflect our membership on the ground,” said Cde Machacha.
“We lost some of our constituencies in Matabeleland South because some people we thought were our members later became CCC councillors. We also learnt that some NGOs have been working with the opposition under the guise of bringing development.”
Cde Machacha urged party members to be wary of NGOs that roll out so-called development programmes.
“As a result of such enemies who want to tamper with our strongholds, as Zanu-PF, we have to lay a strong foundation of cells in villages so that we can remain strong. These structures will act as frontline soldiers who will prevent penetration of the enemy,” he said.
Cde Machacha tasked the leadership of Matabeleland South to vigorously work on their cell and branch structures.
He said failure to have strong structures at the grassroots level is likely to cost the party come election time.
Cde Machacha urged the provincial leadership to invest their time and effort in building strong structures. He said each village in the province is expected to have a cell with registered members.
Cde Machacha said after cell group members have been registered successfully, elections will be conducted for the executives of those cells.
He said the party’s executive is mobilising equipment that will be sent to each party district office to capture the cells which will be sent to the national office for compilation of a national database.
“If we do this process diligently and vigorously, we are looking forward to having not less than four million members who will be in our database. In the past election, we had set a target of six million votes, but we didn’t achieve it because we hadn’t done our groundwork,” said Cde Machacha.
“Once we have these people in our database and ensure that they go on to register to vote and we ensure that they hold party cell meetings every month and support them with information and resources then the party will be unshakable.”
Cde Machacha said each district will have equipment to issue membership cards.
“The issuance of cards will ensure that districts and provinces have the income to sustain party operations as each member will pay US$3. The province will take US$1 and the district will remain with US$2,” he said.
He said in wards where Zanu-PF lost, Politburo and Central Committee members will be deployed to supervise the restructuring process.
Cde Machacha said the restructuring programme will require the mobilisation of new members to ensure that people who are registered understand the party’s ideology and works.
He said all wings within the organisation should be involved in mobilising the youth. —@DubeMatutu
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