THE Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Dr Mike Bimha, has urged party members to remain peaceful ahead of the by elections held this weekend in various parts of the country.
Addressing a Press conference in Masvingo, Dr Bimha called upon all registered voters in the wards and constituencies that are conducting by- elections to go out in their numbers and vote for Zanu PF.
The by-elections are as a result of the recalls by Sengezo Tshabangu of the Citizen’s Coalition for Change. Elections held this weekend are from the first recalled MPs and councillors on allegations they had been imposed on the electorate.
Tshabangu went on to make further recalls and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has already proclaimed dates on which the latest round of by-elections will be, which is early next year.
“I would like to appeal to our members, those who are voters, to come in their numbers and we vote for our Zanu PF candidate. We also want to have a peaceful election according to the call that has been made time after time by His Excellency, the President Emmerson Mnangagwa, that we should conduct ourselves peacefully during the elections. We want to appeal to our members to do the same,” he said.
“I appeal to our membership to come in full force this Saturday in those constituencies where we have elections. We want them to come in full force. We have discovered that sometimes, in the past, if we look at the numbers in a particular constituency and compare with the initial votes there are quite a number who prefer not to go to the polling station on the polling day on the assumption that we will win anyway. That is not the right attitude, we must all of us exercise our right.”
Dr Bimha said the party did not sanction its members to engage in violence and those engaging in those acts were breaking the law and the police should do their work.
“As a party, we did not tell our supporters to go out and commit acts of violence, because we know that violence does not make anyone vote for you. If I go out and beat up people today, it is not a guarantee that they will vote for me because when they go in to vote no one will know to whom they have cast their vote. Our people are educated people and you cannot tell them I will be seeing whom you have voted for.”
He said that, as a party, they are prepared for the elections and their manifesto is not to promise the electorate what they will do, but to show the works that have been done in a few years under the Second Republic.
“As a party, we are prepared at any time in terms of going for these elections. We have been running a very successful campaign preparing for the general elections for the August 2023, so the mood is still there and what we are doing is to continue to reinforce what we had already started.”
Dr Bimha said they stand a better chance at the polls as there is confusion in the opposition party.
“We are a well organised party, well structured, well organised and that is the difference with opposition parties. They are not sure where they are coming from and where they are going. They are not sure whether they have a constitution or whether they are going to have congresses, who is the leader and who is not. Zanu PF has come as a demonstration of a well organised party,” he said.
