'Zanu-PF will surpass 5 million votes, says Matemadanda

Zanu-PF has expressed confidence that it will surpass the five million votes it is targeting ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections as the opposition continues to crumble in the face of defections.

The ruling party's national political commissar Victor Matemadanda said the latest defection to Zanu-PF by MDC stalwarts Lillian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo was a sign that the party was headed for a landslide victory in future polls.

Speaking here yesterday after leading senior ruling party officials in Masvingo in being vaccinated against Covid-19, Matemadanda noted that the defection by Timveos and Chebundo signalled that an increasing number of Zimbabweans were beginning to develop faith in President Mnangagwa's Vision 2030 agenda.

Timveos and Chebundo were on Wednesday welcomed by President Mnangagwa, his deputy Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and party national chair Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri at State House.

The two former opposition stalwarts said they were tired of being part of the bandwagon that opposed merely for the sake of it. Matemadanda said the ruling party was excited by the gradual peeling of the MDC edifice.

"I don't call those defections, but its people who are coming back home (to Zanu-PF), it is like people who are coming back from the diaspora," he said.

"We are excited as Zanu-PF by their home coming, this (defection) will show people in the wilderness that home is best and home is home," said Matemadanda.

Loss of confidence in the opposition has positioned Zanu-PF to continue growing its brand and reach across the local political landscape a scenario that will see the party continuing to win elections.  

According to Matemadanda the writing has been on the wall for some time that Zanu-PF is the only game in town.

"This latest defection means we are on course to surpassing the five million target of votes in 2023.The writing is on the wall and we are saying those who remain outside should come home to Zanu-PF."

Matemadanda noted that well-thinking Zimbabweans like Timveos and Chebundo had seen the light. The new dispensation under President Mnangagwa, he said, had brought a breath of fresh air shepherding the nation to focus on national development in line with Vision 2030.

"We have a listening President, a listening leadership, people were seeing as if things were difficult before, but now we have a new dispensation and it requires everyone's support," said Matemadanda.

"If you take a look at Vision 2030, it is not about Zanu-PF, it's not about individuals, it is about the totality of our people who should be catapulted higher up into a middle income population. These people include everybody even housemaids and herdsmen."

Turning to the Covid-19 Sinopharm vaccine Matemadanda reminded Zimbabweans that it was their lives that were at stake from the novel virus wreaking havoc across the globe.

He urged Zimbabweans irrespective of political affiliation to be inoculated saying social media-generated myths about the Sinopharm vaccine was part of a wider global stage power play between world super powers. He noted that the ensuing trade war between the West led by the US and China on the other side had led to creation of media messages to discredit Sinopharm vaccine.

He said the US and its allies in their quest for international hegemony wanted to discredit vaccines from China in support of theirs as world powers scramble to dominate supply of the Covid-19 vaccine.