By A Correspondent- Zanu PF National Political Commissar Victor Matemedanda is reportedly using liberation war-time strategies of mobilisation to ensure the ruling party has 5 million members by the 2023 elections.
Zanu-PF has repeatedly said it aims to win the 2023 elections by a landslide so as to bury once and for all the issues of legitimacy and contested electoral outcomes.
Recently, sources in the ruling party revealed that Matemadanda called a meeting of all the party’s provincial political commissars and let them in on a “secret to recruitment of supporters to the scale Las seen during the 1970s war of liberation”, said the source in an interview with the a local publication.
“Remember that during the last days of Cde Robert Mugabe in office, war veterans were pushing for full control of the commissariat department. They felt that Saviour Kasukuwere lacked the gravitas to pull together party mobilization to levels of liberation war era when structures countrywide were solidly behind the party,” said the source, requesting anonymity.
“But soon as President Mnangagwa came into office, he granted the war veterans component their wish and that is why the DCC structures which had been declared divisive under the late Cde Robert Mugabe have been resurrected.
“Also, Cde Matemadanda met with all commissars recently and you’ll see how the party will solidify its stranglehold on especially rural structures in upcoming by-elections.
“But make no mistake of thinking that the strategy is for rural support only. Remember the ruling party won a Cowdray Park election against the MDC-A and MDC-T not so long ago. 2023 will shock many opposition politicians who think they have a God given right to win in some constituencies, especially urban ones.”
As if to confirm that, the Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial commissar Maidei Mpala while speaking after the party’s Provincial Coordinating Committee(PCC) in Bulawayo yesterday said Matemadanda taught them how they can attain the 5 million members by 2023.
“When we went to Harare to meet the commissar, we were told about the party’s plan to get at least five million members by the time that we go for elections in 2023. We were also taught ways in which this was attainable.
“The commissar told us that in his first two weeks in office, President Mnangagwa had already outlined his vision for the country and that was a vision tied to the year 2030,” she said in a report by the State-owned Sunday News.
She added: “So, when we met the commissar in Harare he wanted to know if we were following in the President’s footsteps. He wanted to know if we had a vision or we were just approaching elections without a necessary strategy.
“The commissar made it clear that, as a party of the people, we should be in touch with the issues that are really affecting people in Bulawayo because the city has many problems.-statemedia