Zanu PF’s attempts to audit its structures ahead of the 2023 elections was marred by a poor turnout and confusion in most parts of the country with the ruling party’s deputy secretary Kembo Mohadi cancelling the exercise in his home town after members failed to turn up.
The ruling party was auditing its structures after the
opposition Citizens Coalition for Change’s (CCC) showing in the March
by-elections sent fears of an electoral defeat in the 2023 polls.
In Beitbridge, party members stayed away from the cell
audit exercise, with Mohadi who was overseeing the exercise openly expressing
his frustrations and disappointment.
Only 35 people attended the event.
“We will be back here on July 2 and I want to see an
improvement,” Mohadi charged.
“On that day I want to see faces and not just a register.
It’s just one day and we must show commitment.
“I am disappointed with this lack of commitment. We need
unity and cohesion within the party.
“Cells should develop into branches to show there is growth
within the party.”
The poor turnout was also recorded in other parts of the
country such as Hurungwe, Chivhu, Gwanda and Mutare.
At Gwanda High School, less than five people turned up, and
meeting was cancelled.
In some districts, the cell audit meetings had to be
cancelled after people either failed to show up.
A snap survey in Harare revealed that many residents were
mainly concerned with pushing their daily activities, including vending while
there was no clear position on the venues where the meetings would be
conducted.
“The challenge is with the leadership. People are wondering
whether the new leaders have the capacity to mobilise people and even convince
ordinary people to join Zanu PF,” a Zanu PF source said.
Ruling party supporters were also forced to start
door-to-door campaigns as they tried to mobilise people to attend the cell
meetings.
Cecil Kashiri, the MP for Magunje, said they were forced to
start their exercise well after lunch as “most cell party members are communal
farmers, who had to attend to their fields first.”
Addressing 59 Zanu PF cell members who included his wife,
Auxilia, young brothers and son Emmerson Jnr, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said
he was ready to assist party members obtain IDs.
“You said all those who don’t have IDs must come together
and you get their names to the councillor so that they get IDs,” Mnangagwa
said.
“I am saying as the most senior member in the cell, that
once you have all those who don’t have IDs tell me so that I can send a team
that will give them registration here.
In a bid to garner five million votes in the 2023 polls to
ensure an outright win and avoid a run-off, Zanu PF is pushing a voter
registration drive by assisting its supporters to obtain ID cards.
The opposition has said most of its supporters in urban
areas were finding it difficult to get IDs, a key requirement during voter
registration.
The audit in Bulawayo was also characterised by a poor turnout amid indications that some party members had difficulties identifying the cells they belonged to. standard
Cell Audit and Roll call of Dambudzo Cell Members. This year's National Cell Day marks the beginning of a membership recruitment and voter mobilization exercise. A cell consists of 50 members. As of February the Party had 78 000 cells which approximates to 3.9 million members. pic.twitter.com/zG04AKukff
— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) June 11, 2022
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