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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau
THE Zanu-PF Midlands provincial leadership on Sunday launched election campaigns in the eight districts where council candidates were being introduced to members.

The provincial campaign launch was on Saturday at Zanu-PF Winery Conference Centre where members to represent the party in the 29 parliamentary seat constituencies were introduced.

Of the 29 candidates elected, only 11 were re-elected while the rest fell by the way side after the primary elections.

The party’s provincial chairman Engineer Daniel Mackenzie Ncube, said members of the provincial executive had been deployed to Mberengwa, Zvishavane, Shurugwi, Gweru, Kwekwe, Chirumhanzu, Gokwe North and South districts to launch the ruling party’s campaign as well as introducing winning candidates for council elections.

To show that the ruling party was serious about winning the July harmonised elections, Eng Ncube said Politburo members like Dr Jorum Gumbo, Cde July Moyo and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi had been deployed to Kwekwe, Chirumanzu and Chiwundura respectively among other provincial leaders and from the women and youth wings.

“On Saturday we had a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting to introduce the party’s winning Parliamentary candidates to members and also launch the election campaign for the province and today (Sunday) we are doing the same for the districts.

“We have provincial executive members including politburo members participating in this exercise across the province,” he said.

Cde Ncube said the PCC also saw the winning candidates undergoing an hour long orientation on party ideology and operations by a trainer from the Herbert Chitepo Ideological College.

The party resolved that none of its candidates would contest in this year’s elections on its ticket without having received training from the college.

The Chitepo Ideological School’s mandate was to ensure that party cadres identify and embrace the ruling party’s foundational ideology, which was rooted in socialism with Zimbabwean characteristics.

It also seeks to ensure an understanding Zanu-PF’s foundational ethos of naturally empowering the multitudes of its supporters to remain rooted in their appreciation of the party’s enduring policies that are pro-poor and pro-majority.

Besides having an appreciation of the party’s historical trajectory, the Chitepo Ideological School was also aimed at inculcating a sense of patriotism and discipline among the youths, most of who daily depend on mediated information.

Meanwhile, Cde Mumbengegwi who lost the Shurugwi- Zvishavane senatorial seat to Dr Larry Mavhima said the primary elections were free and fair adding that he had seen worst case scenarios of voter intimidation and rigging in a lot of countries before.