Zanu-PF urges members to welcome defectors

Zanu-PF structures have been exhorted to embrace senior opposition members who are seeing the light and defecting to join the ruling party which is angling to garner more than 5 million votes and resoundingly win in the next general elections due in 2023.

Secretary for Security in the Zanu-PF politburo, Lovemore Matuke cautioned party members against victimisation and denigrating those who are joining the revolutionary party.

Matuke was speaking at a Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial coordinating committee(PCC) here over the weekend where district coordinating committee(DCCs) ushered into office last year where also introduced to the provincial party leadership.

Recently, former senior opposition MDC officials Senator James Makore and ex-national spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu jumped ship and joined Zanu-PF.

The two Gutu and Makore are originally from Gutu and Chivi district respectively and were welcome into Zanu-PF by the ruling party national leadership led by President Mnangagwa at State House.

Prior to the pair's defection,former MDC Masvingo Urban legislator Tongai Matutu had also abandoned the sinking opposition ship to join Zanu-PF, together with MDC deputy treasurer Liliam Timveous and Blessing Chebundo the ex-opposition legislator for Kwekwe Central.

Matutu is from Mwenezi in Masvingo again. According to Matuke senior opposition leaders defecting to Zanu-PF deserve to be respected.

"We have many senior MDC officials who have jumped ship and joined Zanu-PF while more are on their way to join the ruling party and I want to appeal to you that we must respect not victimise them for making that decision to come to join us," said Matuke.

"We need to change our attitude towards those who leave their parties to join us, we must not disrespect them, they deserve respect."

Matuke said while the defecting senior leaders would not automatically get positions similar to the ones they had during their spell in the opposition, they also deserved to get senior positions, not to become ordinary card carrying members.

Turning to Makore and Gutu, Matuke said the ex senior opposition leaders were handed over to Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial chair Ezra Chadzamira, who is also the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution. The two hailed from Masvingo province and would most likely be absorbed into the provincial structures of the party.

"We are still waiting for the next decision from the national leadership of the party but Makore and Gutu were handed over to Chadzamira,the Zanu-PF chair for Masvingo by the President."

The PCC meeting also sought to induct newly-minted DCC members and give them terms of reference. Also deliberated was Masvingo's role in helping the ruling party garner more than 5 million votes at the next general elections in 2023 with each province expected to contribute a certain number of votes to attain that figure.

In his address Chadzamira rallied party members to work closely with Government departments and help the nation achieve Vision 2030 targets.