ZANU PF is targeting civil servants in its new recruitment
drive and wants government workers to be given posts in the ruling party
structures, a senior official has said.
Speaking to war veterans, war collaborators, liberation war
heroes’ widows and Zanu PF youths in Beitbridge last week, Zanu PF commissar
Victor Matemadanda said party functionaries must target civil servants and
other workers in a new recruitment drive.
Matemadanda said leaving out civil servants was a mistake
because they ended up not up to speed with political developments and felt
alienated from government functions.
“We must give them posts because they are part of us. We
must work with them and involve them because they work amongst us,” he said.
“Where they show leadership potential, we must give them
posts. For us to say they should not participate in politics when
they already do is a joke.
“We must also work hand in hand with civil servants
deployed in our areas so that they feel at home.
“Provide them with water, give them drought relief packages
and make every effort to make them feel comfortable because they are within us
to work for us.”
Government regulations bar civil servants from
participating in political activities.
Junior civil servants are, however, permitted to
participate in political activities, but must be politically neutral in the
exercise of their duties.
Matemadanda said it was a joke to believe civil servants do
not participate in politics.
Some civil servants unions and workers bodies have been
linked to the opposition parties as their alliances.
Matemadanda, who is also the War Veterans deputy minister,
asked the now old men and women that participated in the liberation struggle
and are regarded as the backbone of Zanu PF to warm up to the civil servants or
risk losing them to the opposition.
“Rural teachers should be assisted and be made comfortable
because they teach our children,” he said.
Asked by journalists about the party’s renewal policy
considering they faced the MDC led by a youthful Nelson Chamisa Matemadanda
said he was a new political commissar and that showed renewal.
“Of course I know you mean we have been fishing from the
same pond in terms of some positions,” he said.
“We are looking at that as well. “You heard what we said
about district coordination committees and that is renewal.”
Turning to the opposition MDC Alliance Matemadanda told his
party members to keep their eyes on the ball and not listen to Chamisa.
He said Chamisa was an attention seeker, who allegedly
wanted to derail the Zanu PF government.
Matemadanda asked Matabeleland regions to support Finance
and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube, whom he described as the best
head of treasury ever.
He chastised former president Robert Mugabe for turning his
back on Zanu PF, a party he had led for decades.
“He was too old and when we asked him to rest he said he
would vote Chamisa. It’s a wrong investment we made in him,” Matemadanda said.
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