Forever Associates of Zimbabwe Trust (FAZ), a Zanu PF affiliate operating under the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) to primarily support President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the upcoming 2023 general elections, has encountered difficulties in paying its numerous recruits for the past three months.
According to a leaked FAZ strategic plan recently revealed to the media, the recruits are referred to as “volunteers” and are estimated to be around 5,910 in number.
Each of Zimbabwe’s 1,970 wards incorporates at least three volunteers, tasked with assessing the electorate and mobilizing support for Mnangagwa, who seeks a second five-year term as the Zanu PF presidential candidate.
Mnangagwa assumed power in November 2017 following a military-assisted takeover, succeeding the late Robert Mugabe, who had been in office since the country gained independence in 1980. He served in a caretaker capacity until the July 2018 elections, narrowly winning against Nelson Chamisa of the MDC-A, who unsuccessfully contested the presidential election result that same year.
NewHub interviewed FAZ volunteers, many of whom were transported to Chipinge in Manicaland province for the Zanu PF election launch in June. These volunteers confirmed that they had not received payment for the past three months.
The volunteers, who disclosed that they had not signed contracts for their involvement in the campaign, were initially receiving a monthly stipend of US$380 since the beginning of this year.
“Our working conditions are challenging. It’s been three months without salaries, yet our superiors continue to instruct us to go out daily and recruit new members, ensure that registered individuals in the wards are approached, and gather intelligence on opposition activities,” said one of the recruits, speaking anonymously.
Similar to most other volunteers, this individual is unemployed and operates within a rural ward in the Midlands province.
The recruits also mentioned that tablets were provided to them to input information about potential voters, including phone numbers, addresses, voter registration status, and party affiliation. Individuals who haven’t registered as voters or whose party affiliation remains unclear are categorized as “pending,” requiring constant follow-ups.
“We have to fund our own campaigns. Personally, I constantly rely on my parents for money to buy data and airtime. What exacerbates the situation is the lack of clarity regarding whom to approach to address our concerns, as FAZ’s organizational structure is unclear,” added another recruit from Masvingo. “We’re just holding on because we hope that our hard work will be rewarded with projects and employment.”
The volunteers stated that their main contact points were junior CIO operatives, who would gather situation reports from them.
Reports suggest that FAZ, which allegedly received US$10 million from the government and other undisclosed sources recently, had been allocating over US$2 million per month to compensate the recruits.
The recruits interviewed by NewsHub expressed concern that the association might have depleted its funds or that the allocated funds were being misused for personal gain by the higher-ups.
Although earlier reports indicated that FAZ had received 200 off-road vehicles for mobilization campaigns across the ten provinces, the volunteers revealed that they were utilizing their personal resources for intra- and inter-ward travel.
Although they were promised a minibus per province, none had been provided.
Initially, the volunteers were restricted to their respective wards, but they have now been instructed to target voters from outside their areas.
In contrast, they noted that members of Heritage, a secretive military group with a similar role to FAZ recruits, were equipped with motorcycles for their operations.
The recruits accused FAZ leadership of favoring Heritage in terms of fund allocation.
The Heritage operatives are considerably fewer in number, with only three assigned to each province.
-NewsHubZim