Zanu PF Youth League gears for elective congress

PREPARATIONS for the Zanu PF National Youth executive elections are underway across the country's ten provinces starting from the cell level.

For any youth member to be eligible to contest for any position at the national level, one should be registered at the cell level. Only youths who are below the age of 35 are allowed to contest for any position. The current youth executive members were co-opted after their five-year term in office expired in 2018.

The party is currently working on setting up cells, branches, districts, and provincial structures. President Mnangagwa last week called for the Youth and the Women's Leagues to hold elections in September.

He urged the youth league to be guided by the rules and regulations and he emphasised the need to consider the age limit in the election process.

“As per our previous decisions, the Youth and the Women's leagues are set to hold elections in September 2021. The rules and regulations of the party must be observed to the letter, especially with regards to the age limit for the Youth League membership,” said President Mnangagwa while addressing politburo members last week.

In an interview yesterday, Zanu PF acting Secretary for Youth League Cde Tendai Chirau said the election process is currently underway from the lower structures of the party.

“President Mnangagwa and the Politburo directed that elections for the wings have to be done by September. The thrust is to make sure that all the structures from the cell to the provincial structures are in place before we go for the national executive elections. As you are aware, the youth league structure starts from the cell, it goes to the branch level, district, province, and the national executive.

“The Politburo directed that the elections must start from the cell level, which is the lower structure of the wing. This is a process that is currently underway and it is supervised by the commissariats department. The Commissariat will be able to call for the setting up of other structures. After the cell, we go to the branch, after the branch, we go to the district, after the district, we go to the province then to the national. It's a process which is done in that manner,” said Cde Chirau.

Those who are eligible to contest for the positions should first join the structures of the party starting from the cell level.

“What we are encouraging is that the youth should join the party structures in their respective areas so that they can stand a chance to be elected.

“The President has emphasised that it is important that the age limit should be considered. We are saying that for the youth league, we need people who are 35 years and below. This means that 16 years to 35 years old are eligible to contest.

“We are encouraging all youth who are 16 years and above to be part of the cell structure. They need to contact the party provincial leadership which is close to them. If they are not able to reach the provincial leadership, they are free to even contact the national office so that they can be registered.”

He said those who are below the age of 35 are eligible to compete, while the current national executive members who are above the age limit is now graduating and are eligible to contest at the main wing and the Women's league

He emphasised that the lower structure is the one that forms the electoral college of the national youth executive election. He said the cell structure is the foundation.

“We are at the foundation level.”

Cde Chirau said the national executive elections were long overdue.

“The issue of elections is a constitutional issue, it's something which is expected in the party that structures have got a five-year term which should be looked at. There is a need for renewal, in actual fact the elections were overdue and we applaud the call that the elections have to be done. It's something which is important,. Youth league is a transition, you don't remain a youth forever, so we need to make sure that we join other wings of the party,” he said.

He called for calm during the election process and ensure peace and unity prevail

“During the election process, there is a need to realise that these are internal elections meant to strengthen the party structures. There is no need for people to divide themselves along with the issues of post-internal elections.

“What is more important is for the party to attain the 5 million vote. The 5 million can only be achieved through a robust structure,” he said.

The last national youth league executive elections were conducted at the 2014 congress.

“What then happens from there is a constitutional provision for co-options. So the current youth executives were co-opted since their term expires in 2018.

“Five years have now lapsed and it's key that those elections are conducted to strengthen the party.”