Zanu-PF Harare Province starts poll preparations

ZANU-PF structures in Harare Province have started preparations for the forthcoming elections, with Marlborough District executive vowing to wrestle the seat from MDC-T and ensure resounding electoral victory for President Mnangagwa.

The district convened a meeting attended by local party branches and cells, as part of preparatory work for harmonised elections set for later this year.

Addressing hundreds of party supporters, Marlborough District interim chairperson Cde Blessing Chimanga said they were geared to register a landslide for Zanu-PF presidential candidate Cde Mnangagwa in the forthcoming harmonised elections.

Harare West Constituency, in which Marlborough falls, has Ms Jessie Majome (MDC-T) as the Member of Parliament.

“As Zanu-PF structures in Harare Province, we need to work hard to ensure that our presidential candidate wins resoundingly, in a way never seen before,” said Cde Chimanga.

“That can only be achieved through hard work by everyone here regardless of one’s position in the party.”

Cde Chimanga said Zanu-PF was a tried-and-tested party and that feat had to be demonstrated through winning the coming elections.

“It is high time that we reassert our dominance as Zanu-PF in Harare Province from MDC-T,” he said.

“We cannot continue to lose parliamentary seats to MDC-T, a party that is in turmoil at the moment.”

There is a fight among MDC-T’s three co-vice presidents on who to succeed its leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who succumbed to colon cancer last week and is set to be buried tomorrow.

Messrs Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri have both claimed to be acting presidents of the party, with another co-vice president, Dr Thokozani Khupe arguing that she ought to take over given that she was elected at congress in 2014.

Dr Khupe argues that Messrs Chamisa and Mudzuri were hand-picked by Mr Tsvangirai to become co-vice presidents and could not be said to be representing the wishes of the party members since they were not elected.

Cde Chimanga told party supporters that some leaders of the previous district executive members were removed by the party’s provincial executive owing to allegations of abuse of some donated goods that were destined for grassroots supporters.

He implored party supporters to register to vote to ensure that Zanu-PF wins.

Cde Chimanga said as the new Marlborough District executive, they had lined up several party activities and projects, including setting up a party office in the area.

“We will be setting up a district office to allow party supporters to be able to channel their grievances instead of bringing them to residence of executive members,” he said.

“We need to have an office.”