Staff Reporter | The much-anticipated new political formation to be led by former Vice President Joyce Mujuru is gathering huge momentum in the Matabeleland region and now set to make the region its stronghold.

Led by ousted former war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda, the party’s recruitment exercise is reportedly capturing several prominent politicians and community leaders within the region. Most of the people recruited are still within their political parties while waiting for the official launch of the new party to declare their moves.
Most hit is the ruling ZANU PF party which will get a huge number of defections when the new party is launched shortly after the ZANU PF congress taking place this week.
Reliable sources working within the two formation claim that ZANU PF will be left without most of its provincial and district leaders particularly in Mat South where the list includes some members of parliament.
According to the sources the hardest hit area is Matabeleland South province which the sources claim will be the new political party’s stronghold. The party is said to be considered by the people of the region as a real unification of the people as it brings back together several prominent politicians who have operated as foes since the formation of the MDC in 1999.
The sources further claim that the Welshman Ncube led MDC has virtually lost almost all of its members in Matabeleland South to the new formation. Dumiso Dabengwa led ZAPU is cited in the information leak as an immediate ally to the Mujuru led party because of close ties that existed between Dabengwa and the late General Solomon Mujuru, husband to Joyce Mujuru.
The information made available to media before the weekend claimed that Dabengwa who was due to retire from leading ZAPU over the weekend was in fact not going to retire only until the unification with the yet to be named Mujuru party. As it turned out after the weekend, Dabengwa indeed announced his continued lead of ZAPU at the party’s conference over the weekend.
Some disgruntled members of the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC also do have their names mentioned amongst those said to be due to declare their official defection to Mujuru. MDC T Bulawayo province has the most number of people on their way to the new party.
The sources further claim that the people from Matabeleland South might be lucky to witness the launch of the new party being held in Gwanda if the requests of the leadership in the province are acceded to. The sources claim that the official position of Matabeleland recruitment and request to have the launch held in Gwanda will be tabled at a party meeting in Harare this weekend.
Verified information confirms that the party is due to have it’s inaugural inter districts meeting in Harare this weekend. Each constituency in the country is expected to send four people to attend the private meeting whose venue and times are yet to be revealed to the delegates.
The districts will be officially tabling their recruitment figures and names of prominent politicians joining the party will be revealed in the meeting.