By A Correspondent
MASHONALAND WEST – Despite official claims of transparency and order, reports are emerging from Mashonaland West Province that villagers are being coerced into joining ZANU PF party structures under the guise of a nationwide cell verification exercise.
While ZANU PF national leaders have praised the verification campaign as a legitimate effort to modernize and digitize party records, grassroots accounts suggest a different story—one of subtle intimidation and pressure tactics used to compel villagers into membership.
The ongoing process, endorsed by senior party figures including Politburo member Cde James Makamba and Provincial Chairperson Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, has been described as peaceful and productive. Officials insist the high turnout signals strong voluntary support for the ruling party.
However, residents in several districts paint a more troubling picture. Villagers, particularly in rural areas, say they are being urged—sometimes forcefully—to submit their names to local ZANU PF structures, with threats of exclusion from government aid, agricultural inputs, or other public services if they refuse.
“They came to our homesteads saying we must register or risk losing out on food aid,” said one villager who asked to remain anonymous. “Some of us are not even politically active, but we had no choice.”
Political observers argue that the cell verification process, while presented as an internal party matter, is being used to consolidate political control ahead of future elections by artificially inflating party membership through coercion.
“This is a classic case of sanitizing forced affiliation,” said a local civic activist. “Calling it ‘verification’ is misleading when the reality is people are being pushed to align themselves with the ruling party whether they want to or not.”
Despite concerns, ZANU PF maintains that the exercise is part of its efforts to ensure accurate data and active participation in party activities. The process is also reportedly being used to build a digital database of members as the party embraces modern organisational methods.
Critics argue, however, that forced political affiliation undermines democracy and civic freedom, particularly in rural communities where government influence is deeply entrenched.
As the verification drive continues, calls are growing for independent monitoring to ensure that villagers’ rights to political choice are not being violated in the name of party organisation.