THE restructuring process by Zanu-PF is part of the preparations for the 2023 harmonised elections and the party is pleased with the progress so far, an official has said.
Politburo member Mike Bimha, who is also the Zanu-PF secretary for indigenisation and economic empowerment, said the process is not about numbers but the reality on the ground.
In March, Zanu-PF First Secretary and President Mnangagwa dissolved the party’s structures in Bulawayo and Harare.
The party leadership said the dissolution of the party’s structures in Bulawayo and Harare was meant to address problems that have resulted in the party perennially losing elections in the two metropolitan provinces.
“We are doing all this in preparation for 2023 harmonised elections. If we put our house in order right now and do away with a situation of having structures on paper but in reality having nothing, we will be heading in the right direction come the next elections,” he said.
“In the past we could hear that there were districts which were only on paper but the reality on the ground was that there were no branches or cells. It’s not the numbers that matter but the reality on the ground. If we don’t have people, let it be known and the party should work on that. That is why we said let’s know the number of people through a physical check.”
Bimha said the process helped the party discover that in the past there were ghost members created by greedy individuals who were after positions and resources.
“These individuals would lie that they had members in their structures. We have corrected that. This process is a continuous process and will enable the party to grow in membership,” he said.
Asked on the number of cells the party has established in Bulawayo, Bimha said the party will only have the data after Saturday.
“I don’t have the total number of cells established but what I can say is that the number is growing. However, we have given them up to Saturday to mop up and once we are happy we can say this is the cut-off point. This doesn’t mean that this is the end of the exercise as we have to move to the next stage which is the provincial elections,” he said.
