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Cde Matuke

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
zanu-pf in Masvingo has embarked on an audit to establish the approximate number of its members who have registered under the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise, as the ruling party pulls all stops to romp to a crushing victory in this year’s harmonised elections.

A senior Politburo member in the province said the party leadership was carrying an audit of its members who have registered to vote in the coming polls to gauge the potential margin of victory in Masvingo.

Addressing a zanu-pf Masvingo inter-district meeting at Nemamwa Growth Point, ruling party national secretary for Security Cde Lovemore Matuke said the party was gearing to retain all the 26 House of Assembly seats in the province.

Cde Matuke challenged party members to tirelessly work round the clock and make sure the ruling party Presidential candidate President Emmerson Mnangagwa and zanu-pf roared to a landslide victory in the forthcoming harmonised polls.

He tasked all party district chairpersons to collate information about party members who registered under BVR in the province for zanu-pf to estimate its chances of electoral victory before actual polling.

“We should ensure that zanu-pf retains all the 26 seats in this province,” said Cde Matuke.

“To be certain of victory in elections expected in about four months time, we should know the approximate number of our members who have registered under the ongoing BVR exercise and that is the reason why we have embarked on an audit.

“All party district chairpersons should take stock of the number of registered zanu-pf members and also those who have not registered. We should continue to encourage those who have not registered to do so.”

Cde Matuke said it was incumbent upon party members to campaign for President Mnangagwa and hand him an emphatic victory in the coming elections.

Cde Matuke was recently assigned to lead campaigns for the coming elections in Masvingo District in his capacity as a zanu-pf Politburo member. He challenged party members in the district to hit the ground campaigning for President Mnangagwa and zanu-pf.

“Those who are lazy have no place in my campaign team because I want to work with dedicated cadres who do not waver,” said Cde Matuke.

“We want to know the expected margin of victory ward by ward in Masvingo District and this should also cascade to other six districts in the province.’’ Cde Matuke said prior to the harmonised elections, new party structures made up of leaders with a people’s mandate gained through polls, would have been ushered into office.

He said the time of sloganeering and denigrating other party members was over, saying the challenge confronting zanu-pf was to steer economic growth under the new political dispensation for the benefit of Zimbabweans.

“We should stop chanting slogans that denounce others, We are not going to expel anyone from the party, but we know we have members who were part of the G40 cabal who still need shepherding. We will assist them to reform and they must continue to be hand-held.”

Cde Matuke said Masvingo District had an advantage of being home to the ruling party provincial chair Cde Ezra Chadzamira, whom Cde Matuke said would not be subjected to party elections after overwhelmingly winning the mandate of zanu-pf members in contentious provincial elections held last year.

According to latest information from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, more than 500 000 people have registered under the BVR exercise in Masvingo, out of a national total of over five million people who have registered as voters.

The inter-district meeting was attended by Minister of State for Masvingo Province Senator Josaya Hungwe, zanu-pf provincial vice chair Cde Ailes Baloyi and party provincial secretary for information Cde Ronald Ndaba, among others.