Zanu PF uncovers 236 555 membership errors

Zanu PF's cell verification exercise has exposed major inaccuracies in the ruling party's grassroots membership records, with 236 555 errors recorded across Masvingo Province.

The figures were revealed by Zanu PF Politburo member and Deputy Secretary for Security Tendai Chirau during a Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting at Masvingo Polytechnic on Tuesday.

According to Chirau, Chivi recorded 29 739 errors, Bikita 24 306, Gutu 37 523, Chiredzi 47 577, Masvingo 34 037, Mwenezi 29 989 and Zaka 33 384, bringing the provincial total to 236 555.

He attributed the discrepancies to several factors, including the use of liberation war names, nicknames, missing identification numbers and misspelt names that do not correspond with information stored in the party's digital systems.

"There are some comrades still using their liberation war names, and people do not even know their real names. Because of our system, the name is not picked, and it says error. Some have nicknames, and they are the ones written in cell registers, so they won't be found in our system," Chirau said.

He said some errors resulted from capturers rushing through the exercise, while others were attributed to inadequate computer literacy and the appointment of people who were allegedly not suitably qualified.

"So during the cleaning process, we must ensure that people bring their IDs so that we capture well. We established that the errors were caused at times by the fact that people were rushing, hence making mistakes," he said.

"At times, the capturers were not competent enough and not computer literate because they are connected to an official. So it is important that this time we have people who are literate and are trained well."

Chirau called for at least six competent officials to be deployed to each constituency during the data-cleaning exercise to improve the accuracy of the party's records.

He also proposed that the party target young people from the age of 15 for membership registration, saying birth certificates could be used for verification because they contain identification numbers.

The Politburo member said the party was already preparing for the 2030 elections and needed to significantly expand and clean up its grassroots registers.

"In 2023, we got 307,383 votes in Masvingo, and the total voter population was 723,393. So if we do the maths, by 2030, the voter population will be over a million," Chirau said.

"We need to make sure that our cell register for the province has more than half of the total voter population who would actually vote."

Candidates Blamed for Manipulation

However, Zanu PF Provincial Secretary for Youth Affairs Delight Mandebvu offered a different explanation for the large number of errors.

Mandebvu argued that aspiring candidates had manipulated the cell verification process to favour their supporters ahead of primary elections.

"This may be a clarification, and I want you to help us. There is an area that you are leaving out which is critical. The aspiring candidates were the ones with the reason why we have many errors," she said.

"People were not following procedures because they had their own agendas."

The revelations come as Zanu PF moves to clean up its grassroots structures and prepare for future electoral contests.

Delegates also raised concerns over inadequate resources, particularly the lack of vehicles for District Coordinating Committee chairpersons who are expected to monitor registration and verification programmes.

Masvingo Provincial Chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa acknowledged the resource constraints but said the exercise would continue despite the challenges.

"Sure, we have a challenge with resources. Even I, as the chairperson, sometimes I am instructed to make sure that the programmes go on smoothly. However, we will make sure that this programme goes on even with the limited resources we have," Mavhenyengwa said.

The scale of the errors has raised questions about the reliability of Zanu PF's existing membership records and the extent to which its grassroots structures accurately reflect the party's actual support base.

The verification and cleaning exercise is expected to address the discrepancies before the party intensifies preparations for the 2030 elections.