Mnangagwa says, 'Mash East remains our solid base'

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has commended Mashonaland East province for remaining a Zanu-PF stronghold since independence.

The province is home to some luminaries and heroes of the struggle such as the late General Solomon "Rex Nhongo" Mujuru and the late Ernest Rusununguko Kadungure, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the late former Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Commissioner-General, Major-General Paradzai Zimondi, Dr Sydney Sekeramayi among others.

The province was the cradle of the Third Chimurenga, which ushered the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.

"I commend Mashonaland East province for the unwavering support to the party, since independence," said President Mnangagwa.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at a rally at Chidodo Primary School in Uzumba after attending the memorial service of the Major-General Zimondi, President Mnangagwa commended the province for remaining resolute in supporting the party.

Mashonaland East province is known for their unwavering support for the party and for consistently voting Zanu-PF into power.

He challenged the party leadership to continue setting unshakable structures and to continue recruiting bringing more people to the ruling party.

"You must continue to restructure and accept new members into the party. Please accept new cadres," said President Mnangagwa.

During the course of party restructuring exercise, a number of high-ranking officials from MDC-A defected to Zanu-PF.

As the party is working towards mobilising five million members ahead of the 2023 elections, Zanu-PF is recruiting new members from all ages.

More than four million have been registered so far.

President Mnangagwa called for the need to orientate new members so that they acquaint themselves with the party ideology.

Those defecting to Zanu-PF, President Mnangagwa said, should acquaint themselves with the party constitution before they occupy senior party positions.

All members, he said, should start from lower structures of the party such as the cell level.

"Kana vakange varasika vaenda kune zvimwe zvimisangano zviya izvi vachidzoka vatambirei. Asi kana mavatambira votamba tune yeZanu-PF, kwete inside-out. You should teach them the Zanu-PF constitution, its ideology, the rules and the procedure of the party.

"In Zanu-PF, musangano unotanga kumasero. Ndokunotanga musangano. Ukaona wokwira woenda kubranch, woenda kudistrict woenda kuprovince waibva.

"Haungobvi kwaunobva uko wouya uchibaya kunopinda kuprovince.

"Unofana kuti upinde negwara remusangano, ugokwira negwara remusangano vanhu vachiona kushanda kwako," the President said.

President Mnangagwa also urged party members to be geared to bury the opposition political parties in the 2023 harmonised elections.

The Government has launched a number of projects, cumulatively worth billions of dollars, both in rural and urban centres as part of a raft of measures to achieve Vision 2030.

Projects include construction of health facilities, road upgrading and rehabilitation, dam construction, industrial processing ventures and power generation projects, to name a few.

The President called for unity, peace and harmony among Zimbabweans.

"We need to respect each other, we need to resolve our differences peacefully. We need to obey the rules and regulations of our party.

"We need to be counted among the patriots."