Zanu-PF restructures to quantify support base

Zanu-PF is embarking on restructuring exercises across the provinces to quantify the party's support base ahead of the 2023 general elections. The party's Secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu said the party have to go a thorough and a rigorous process of membership head counting.

"Following the successful conducting of District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections countrywide, the logical procedure was to restructure the DCCs. This is an exercise aimed at quantifying our support base,".

"As part of reaffirming our legitimacy as a party, we have to go through such a rigorous process of membership head counting. Beyond the statistical logic of this process, the DCC restructuring is an opportunity to strategically reorganise ourselves in preparing for our 2023 election victory," said Dr Mpofu.

This comes as the party's progressive policies that resonate with the public and its open door policy have resulted in many people, including former MDC legislators joining the party.

New members, some of whom have never been members of any political party, are also flocking to Zanu-PF, which they say has the future of the nation at heart. The party is targeting to mobilise 5 million votes for the 2023 harmonised elections to ensure a resounding victory.

The exercise is being led by the party leadership in various provinces across the country to ensure there is proper structures at lower level up to the provincial level.

The cell restructuring exercise is meant to ensure all party members regardless of position, they are registered in their respective cells. After the cell restructuring exercise, the province will set up the branch and then the district structures.

The ruling party's Harare Provincial Political Commissar Kudakwashe Damson said the province has already started the cell restructuring exercise on May 10 last week.

"The party recognises the need for our structures to be reconfigured to suit the dictates of our 5 million campaign plan. In conducting this exercise, it is expected that the leadership remains honest and sincere to the party. This means that the exercise should not degenerate into a mere inscription of members' names on registers but a well-orchestrated programme to build, revamp our structures and ultimately create an accurate data base,".

In this regard, he said members should only register or appear in a single cell/village in order to enable precise quantification of members.

"We are expecting to complete the exercise on June 6, next month. We want to ensure that those who are holding high offices are registered in their cells. Those who have defected from opposition parties are also registered in their respective zones," said Damson.

District elections, are expected to be conducted on the June 28-July 4. Zanu-PF Harare provincial Youth Affairs Chairman Emmanuel Mahachi challenged the youth to take part in the current restructuring exercise.

"All those youths who are joining the party should now be registered in the cell restructuring exercise. We cannot have youth who claim to be our members yet they are not in the party structures.

"This is the time for our youth to be seen participating. In Zone six, we are starting with Mbare and Harare South. My message is to encourage youth to be in our party structures and geared for mobilisation towards 2023 general elections," said Mahachi.