SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MASVINGO- Zanu PF’s cell verification exercise in Masvingo province has been thrown into disarray after widespread errors and inaccuracies were uncovered in membership registers, senior party officials have admitted.
The admission was revealed during a tense Masvingo Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting held at Masvingo Poly.
During the meeting, it was revealed that the ruling party has failed to account for its membership with about 236 555 major discrepancies being exposed.
In his address, Politiburo member and Deputy Secretary for Security Tendai Chirau said the audit of cell registers had exposed widespread inaccuracies across districts. He said the flawed lists are undermining the party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts.
“The cell verification exercise is a critical programme meant to ensure that we have accurate membership records. What we have found on the ground is concerning.
“As a party, we continue to update and build our cells. We are here today to re- emphasise to the leadership the importance of this exercise. The cell- building exercise is a programme that is happening across the country so that our cells remain active,” he said.
In his response, Masvingo Provincial Chair Robson Mavhenyengwa cited lack of resources as a major challenge which hindered the exercise. He described the meeting as an eye-opener for the province acknowledging that the cells are the backbone of the party.
He said urgent action is needed to meet all necessary requirements and keep cell registers up to date.
“We are also incapacitated just like any other province, but while that is being addressed, we should continue working hard.
“This meeting is very important to us as a party. It reminds us to continuously mobilise and update cells. As a revolutionary party, we continue to go back to the drawing board to ensure all our members are captured in our cells and they participate in party programmes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the province has proposed to ban internal elections until 2030 saying the idea was to align the party constitution with the country’s new constitutional amendments.
The province during the meeting has also recommended an elective congress to be held in 2029 up from 2027. The resolutions were tabled for discussion ahead of the party’s conference to be held at Chinhoyi University of Technology in Mashonaland West Province in October.
