Zanu PF suspends internal elections until set up of new cells – Bimha

Marondera, (New Ziana) – The ruling Zanu PF party has suspended all internal elections until an ongoing restructuring exercise of cell structures countrywide has been completed, a senior official has said.

The party is dismantling existing cell structures and setting up new ones to make them party-centric, as opposed to the ones in place which were more aligned to individuals.

Addressing a Mashonaland East special Provincial Coordination Committee (PCC) meeting here, politburo member, Mike Bimha said as the root of the party, it had become important and necessary to first restructure cells countrywide before holding any elections in the party.

Zanu PF was due to hold District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) elections this year, after the terms of officeholders expired last year.

But Bimha said the elections will now only be held after the restructuring of cells to make them more party-focused.

He said current cell structures served more the interests of influential party individuals who manipulated their composition, instead of the party.

In some cases, he said, unqualified cell members were literally ‘smuggled’ in from elsewhere, causing disharmony in many places.

“I came here today with a matter we once talked about, but had been put on hold due to resource constraints. We once sent a circular to the effect that we will soon be launching our restructuring exercise, but we could not go ahead due to competing needs,” Bimha said.

“We ended up with fake cells as they were not set up through genuine means with some members smuggled in from elsewhere, which caused disharmony within the party,” he said.

He said the new cell structures will not immediately pave way for DCC elections, noting these will only be held once the party was satisfied the cells were now credible and party-focussed.

The new cells will no longer be limited to a membership of 50, but allowed to take in as many members as they wished.

Bimha, who until recently was Zanu-PF political commissar, urged party organs and structures to warm-heartily take in and embrace people joining from other political parties, saying this was important in growing the membership base of the party.

“We used to have challenges in other provinces where some party leaders barred returning members fearing of losing their positions to them. Our message is the party is not about positions. Let us ensure that these people re-join the party,” he said.

New Ziana