News / National
Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF gears for 2023 polls
28 Feb 2023 at 11:18hrs | Views
Zanu-PF politburo member Elifasi Mashava
Zanu-PF politburo member Elifasi Mashava has warned party cadres who have started campaigning for local and house of Assembly positions, saying individual campaigns can only start when President Mnangagwa gives the go ahead.
Mr Mashava, who is the secretary for business development in the politburo, said the campaigns can only start after Zanu-PF First Secretary and President, Mnangagwa, in line with the party protocol declares that members can now go out on full throttle campaigns.
Zimbabwe is set to go for the polls this year at a date that will be set by President Mnangagwa, who told thousands of people in Lupane during the Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day celebrations that he will soon be proclaiming the election day after he gazetted the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)'s delimitation report as enshrined in the constitution.
The report sets the boundaries for wards and constituencies to be used in the upcoming harmonised elections.
The proclamation by the President follows the presentation of the final report by the electoral body on February 17, pursuant to which, the report should be gazetted within 14 days.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Presidential Urban farmers Poultry Scheme chicks presentation ceremony officiated by the Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube last week, Mashava said the revolutionary party only has one position which has since been filled by the party's First Secretary, who is the party's only candidate.
"We are saying to party cadres, no one and absolutely no one must campaign for any position whatsoever. At the moment Zanu-PF only has and knows one position, that of the country's presidency and our candidate is His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa. All campaigns are for that candidate, no one else. We do not, as a party expect anyone to be campaigning for themselves and cadres are thus warned to desist forthwith from campaigning. I know we are a disciplined party so we don't expect our members to disregard this party position," said Mashava.
Mashava urged party members to tirelessly work and campaign for the party towards a resounding election victory which will also send a strong message to those calling for a regime change on the basis of wanting to reverse the successful land reform program that saw indigenous but landless Zimbabweans finally owning land which had previously been owned by a few white settlers.
"Let us go out there and rally for our candidate, victory is certain yes, but we want it to be resounding. We need five million plus votes, that position is never negotiable," said Mashava.
Early this month, Zanu-PF launched a robust
nationwide cell building and verification exercise as it remains steadfast on its thrust to gunner five million votes in what is expected to be a one-sided contest.
Last year Zanu-PF introduced a National Cell Day, which will be celebrated annually to strengthen its grassroots, organisational and mass mobilisation units.
This is part of the scaling up of the Revolutionary Party's mass mobilisation strategies as it gears for a resounding victory in the upcoming harmonized elections.
In December last year, ZEC presented its preliminary delimitation report to President Mnangagwa which was tabled before Parliament and referred back to the elections Commission for further consideration.
In an extraordinary Government gazette on Monday, President Mnangagwa said: "Now, therefore, under and by the virtue of the powers invested in the President, l do by this my Proclamation declare the names and boundaries of the wards and the House of Assembly and Senatorial Constituencies as finally determined by the Commission, which names boundaries set out in the schedule to this Proclamation, to the Wards and National Assembly and the Senatorial Constituencies of Zimbabwe for the purposes of the forthcoming and any subsequent general election.
The presentation of the final report made way for the adoption of the new wards and constituencies in time to meet timelines that should be observed in order for the harmonised elections to be held within the constitutionally permissible time frame.
Mr Mashava, who is the secretary for business development in the politburo, said the campaigns can only start after Zanu-PF First Secretary and President, Mnangagwa, in line with the party protocol declares that members can now go out on full throttle campaigns.
Zimbabwe is set to go for the polls this year at a date that will be set by President Mnangagwa, who told thousands of people in Lupane during the Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day celebrations that he will soon be proclaiming the election day after he gazetted the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)'s delimitation report as enshrined in the constitution.
The report sets the boundaries for wards and constituencies to be used in the upcoming harmonised elections.
The proclamation by the President follows the presentation of the final report by the electoral body on February 17, pursuant to which, the report should be gazetted within 14 days.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Presidential Urban farmers Poultry Scheme chicks presentation ceremony officiated by the Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube last week, Mashava said the revolutionary party only has one position which has since been filled by the party's First Secretary, who is the party's only candidate.
"We are saying to party cadres, no one and absolutely no one must campaign for any position whatsoever. At the moment Zanu-PF only has and knows one position, that of the country's presidency and our candidate is His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa. All campaigns are for that candidate, no one else. We do not, as a party expect anyone to be campaigning for themselves and cadres are thus warned to desist forthwith from campaigning. I know we are a disciplined party so we don't expect our members to disregard this party position," said Mashava.
Mashava urged party members to tirelessly work and campaign for the party towards a resounding election victory which will also send a strong message to those calling for a regime change on the basis of wanting to reverse the successful land reform program that saw indigenous but landless Zimbabweans finally owning land which had previously been owned by a few white settlers.
"Let us go out there and rally for our candidate, victory is certain yes, but we want it to be resounding. We need five million plus votes, that position is never negotiable," said Mashava.
Early this month, Zanu-PF launched a robust
nationwide cell building and verification exercise as it remains steadfast on its thrust to gunner five million votes in what is expected to be a one-sided contest.
Last year Zanu-PF introduced a National Cell Day, which will be celebrated annually to strengthen its grassroots, organisational and mass mobilisation units.
This is part of the scaling up of the Revolutionary Party's mass mobilisation strategies as it gears for a resounding victory in the upcoming harmonized elections.
In December last year, ZEC presented its preliminary delimitation report to President Mnangagwa which was tabled before Parliament and referred back to the elections Commission for further consideration.
In an extraordinary Government gazette on Monday, President Mnangagwa said: "Now, therefore, under and by the virtue of the powers invested in the President, l do by this my Proclamation declare the names and boundaries of the wards and the House of Assembly and Senatorial Constituencies as finally determined by the Commission, which names boundaries set out in the schedule to this Proclamation, to the Wards and National Assembly and the Senatorial Constituencies of Zimbabwe for the purposes of the forthcoming and any subsequent general election.
The presentation of the final report made way for the adoption of the new wards and constituencies in time to meet timelines that should be observed in order for the harmonised elections to be held within the constitutionally permissible time frame.
Source - The Chronicle
