BY SILAS NKALA
The ruling Zanu PF is reportedly struggling to restructure its Bulawayo provincial executive following its dissolution by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in March this year due to underperforming.
Retired Colonel George Nare was tasked with co-ordinating the restructuring exercise in Bulawayo. Nare is also the party’s director in the Zanu PF commissariat.
On Sunday, Nare said the restructuring exercise had already taken effect in the cells and branches, with districts now next in line.
Nare said preparations for the provincial elections to choose a new provincial executive were also underway.
But sources close to the goings-on said all was not well, with only a handfull of party members coming forward for most of the cell, branch and district elections, a sign that many people had pulled out of the party for various reasons.
“The restructuring (exercise) has been a torrid task for the party as those responsible could hardly get people to constitute quorums for cells and districts. They ended up co-opting people who were not in those cells and branches to register so that structures are made,” a source said.
“It appears the party’s support base and membership in Bulawayo has dwindled, either due to the G40 fiasco or due to the economic crisis, which might be forcing people to lose trust and confidence in the party.”
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Another source who preferred anonymity said the restructuring committees had to resort to luring people through food handouts.
“Over the weekend, they were giving some members three cups of rice each as bait to have them join the restructuring process.” Contacted for comment yesterday, Nare said they were almost done with the restructuring exercise in Bulawayo, claiming all was going well despite the presence of people from other cells and districts who were bent on manipulating the process to their advantage.
“There are some cases where individuals jostle for positions. Some unscrupulous individuals are trying to manipulate elections to their advantage in order to get into provincial structures,” Nare said.
“We are only left with five districts out of the 35. This Sunday, we will have done all districts, then we will be getting into provincial elections. We were supposed to conduct provincial elections on Sunday, but we have postponed and extended the process to May 18 to allow for due processes to be completed.”
Nare said they were ready to deal with unscrupulous elements seeking to disturb the process.
“We are putting mechanisms in place to make sure that we flush out rotten elements, and ensure that all goes well,” he added.
On Sunday, the ruling party’s city centre district elected new leaders in elections conducted at Davies Hall, the provincial headquarters. Caleb Sengu is the new district chairperson after Nkosana Dube withdrew his candidature. Raymond Mtomba was elected the new deputy chairperson, winning against Nkosilathi Dube.
Marvelous Ali is now the women’s league chairperson, deputised by Lydia Phiri.
The youth league chairperson is now Mayibongwe Zvigadza, and is deputised by Emmanuel Sunduza, who were both uncontested.
The party leadership said the dissolution of the party structures in Bulawayo and Harare would address problems that had resulted in the party perennially losing elections in the two metropolitan provinces.
The party appointed Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga to superintend over the party’s affairs in Harare, while Vice-President Kembo Mohadi was assigned to oversee structures in Bulawayo.
