Mnangagwa rallies Zanu-PF

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has rallied Zanu-PF to wrest vacant Parliamentary and Local Authority seats from opposition parties in by-elections slated for March and subsequently harmonised elections in 2023, saying the revolutionary party has the might to trounce the embattled opposition.

Addressing the 359th session of the Zanu-PF Politburo at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa called on the party to begin preparing for the elections and put in place measures that will lead to a resounding victory in both polls.

"Tinoda kuvasvasvanga pama by-elections gore rino tigovarakasha gore rinouya 2023 (We want to trounce them in the by-elections this year and annihilate them in 2023)," the President said.

"As you may be aware, I recently made a proclamation with regards to the holding of by-elections on the 26th of March 2022. This meeting gives us an opportunity to interrogate the state of readiness to claim the vacant Senatorial, National Assembly and Councillors' seats arising out of deaths of members. Equally we must wrestle from the opposition the vacant Senatorial, National Assembly and Councillors' seats arising as a result of opposition recalls, deaths and squabbles."

President Mnangagwa said with the citizenry clamouring for effective representation, there was need for the development of strategies for a resounding victory anchored on unity within the party.

"In this regard, the Commissariat Department must take a lead in the development of robust strategies for a resounding victory.

"As leaders at Politburo and Central Committee level, we must provide leadership by addressing lower structures, ensuring unity and that everyone is pulling in one direction to accelerate the achievement of Vision 2030.

"Our citizens in the vacant Constituencies and Wards have expectations, wishes and aspirations and are yearning for Zanu-PF representation. We must answer to their cries and provide leadership guided by our tenets of servant leadership. In this regard, all wings of the party are exhorted to escalate the mobilisation of our membership to vote for our party."

President Mnangagwa urged Zanu-PF members to follow party guidelines and procedures to ensure the party comes up with capable and ideologically rooted candidates during the forthcoming primary elections.

He called for unity and peace to be upheld at all times during the primary elections.

"Having said that, it is my expectation that leaders and members of the party follow guidelines and procedures that govern and inform our primary elections. This will enable us as a party to come up with capable, agile and ideologically rooted candidates.

"The candidates who represent the party must be keen and ready to promote, safeguard and defend the ideals of the party as envisioned in our Constitution, Manifesto and Conference Resolutions. Remember Zanu-PF is a people's party and people join our colossal Party on the basis of its principles, values and norms. No one can claim ownership and sense of entitlement of the party," President Mnangagwa said.

He warned that acts of violence, sowing divisions and political chicanery will not be tolerated.

The President said implementation of the National Development Strategy 1 economic blueprint is well on course, with the Government embarking on various initiatives to support agriculture, such as the recent handover of over 600 heifers to youths from all the country's 10 provinces.

He implored Zanu-PF leaders to encourage party members to make maximum use of the land in light of the good rains that the country is receiving.

"I urge the structures of the party to stay the course, urging and encouraging our people to make maximum utilisation of the rains and our God-given vast land resource, riding on our mantra "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo."

President Mnangagwa also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi-Jinping for the 10 million additional Covid-19 vaccines that Beijing donated to Harare last week.

"I express my profound gratitude to his Excellency, President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China for the generous donation of 10 million vaccine doses over and above other previous donations, altogether we have now received 12 million doses from China as a gift.

"I would to commend all those who have heed my clarion call to get a booster vaccine dose. Government will continue mobilising vaccines to ensure that lives and livelihoods are saved and protected."