Pay subs or face ban, Zanu PF tells members

By The Standard and Newsday | Dec. 16, 2021 | 2 Min read

Addressing the media yesterday at the party headquarters in Harare, Zanu PF political commissar Michael Bimha said members that were not paid up would not be allowed to contest the provincial elections later this month.

BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA

ZANU PF yesterday announced that it had barred members that have not fully paid up their membership subscriptions from participating in its internal elections.

“We are now geared up to finalise elections for provincial structures, now that the party conference is over,” he said.

“We have prepared a framework to guide the elections. We are hoping that by Sunday, all provinces will have completed party district elections that have some outstanding issues. We want to advise our members that those aspiring for chairperson posts must submit their CVs (curriculum vitaes) to their respective provinces by December 17, 2021.

“We are directing all provinces to convene provincial coordinating committees which will be addressed by politburo members on December 18 or 19, 2021. No province will supervise its own elections. All members who want to contest must be fully paid up. All members who want to vote must also be fully paid up.”

The run-up to the elections has been violent, with factional fights being reported in the Midlands, Manicaland and Harare provinces, among others.

Bimha said the huge interest to contest in the party elections was a demonstration that the party was alive.

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“The election guidelines were set to ensure that there is a free, transparent and fair election. The huge interest shown in the internal election is a demonstration that Zanu PF is alive and ready for any election at any time. The politburo resolved that the elections will be held before January 1, 2022. The actual date depends on the progress of the measure we have put in place.”

A party insider who spoke to NewsDay on condition of anonymity said Zanu PF had decided to bar members who were not paid up as a strategy to raise funds ahead of the 2023 elections.

Zanu PF recently announced that it would target vendors, small-scale miners and farmers to raise $140 million for its 2023 electoral campaign.

“It’s a strategy to raise funds,” the source said.

“Those party members who have not been paying subscriptions for the membership card will definitely pay up if they are determined to vote or contest. By doing so, the party will be raising funds.”