ZANU-PF will not hesitate to crack the whip on self-centred members bent on tarnishing the image of the party by pursuing selfish interests while the organisation suffers, the ruling party’s Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi has warned.
Speaking during a Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting in Gwanda at the weekend, Cde Mohadi said internal conflicts should play second fiddle to the party’s interest of retaining power.
“I hear there is no unity of purpose in this province anymore. People no longer have the interests of the party at heart as they now pursue their own interests. We understand those with money are the ones that are being served,” he said.
“So we need to get rid of such people. You said you want permission to crack the whip and that permission is now being granted. I, therefore, call upon everyone to order and this is the only way we can get five million votes.”
Cde Mohadi warned party members against political bickering including leaders using money to buy votes.
“Some of you may use money, but that doesn’t make you a popular leader. You can’t buy people to vote you into power. People are not brought into the party that way, and Zanu-PF can never be bought with money,” he said.
Cde Mohadi said members who are using the name of the party to engage in illegal acts will be disciplined.
As the party heads towards elections, the provincial leadership should lead by example and stick by the core values of the party, said Cde Mohadi.
He said the party needs loyal cadres who are driven by the desire to develop the country as opposed to those who are after amassing wealth and securing titles.
Cde Mohadi said Zanu-PF members should set aside their differences, shun the “bhora musango” tendency and start driving the revolutionary party’s primary agenda of resoundingly winning the forthcoming harmonised elections.
“If we are not united then we won’t achieve the five million votes. If we were not united then we wouldn’t have liberated this country. The unity that you once had in the province is the one which once saw you securing all constituencies,” he said.
Cde Mohadi implored youths and elderly people in the party to closely work together and mobilise votes for the party.
He noted that primary elections have become a breeding ground for disunity. Cde Mohadi said while primary elections were a race, members should unite and post a crushing victory in this year’s harmonised polls.
“We have some candidates who after losing primary elections go on to sabotage the winning candidate and we are saying that culture must stop as we head towards the polls. As the country heads towards elections, there is a possibility that the constituencies in Matabeleland South might be reduced from 13 to 12, and this should not be a cause for commotion within the party,” said the Zanu-PF Second Secretary.
“Zec (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) came up with delimitation results and everyone complained that they didn’t do well. If Matabeleland South loses constituencies, it’s not because of Zec, but us who failed to do the work of coming up with the prerequisite threshold of a constituency.”
Matabeleland South had 13 constituencies, but following the remapping of constituencies and wards it could lose Bulilima East constituency.
Prior to conducting the delimitation exercise, concerns were raised that Matabeleland provinces could lose more constituencies due to low numbers of registered voters.
In its delimitation report, Zec said delimitation plays a significant role in maintaining the proportionality of the number of representative seats allocated to an electoral district, as well as upholding the principle of equality of voting strength. – The Chronicle
