ZANU PF’s Central Committee report says rising inflation, deepening poverty and internal party divisions are the biggest risks to its power.
The party is banking on a grassroots campaign, reaching out to various interest groups and public infrastructure projects to deliver a win next year, newzwire.live reported.
Below are the main takeaways from the Central Committee report, which was distributed to delegates at the congress.
1). ZANU PF claims to have over 4.2 million members
The party says it did a membership audit to be sure of how just many members it has. The party claims to have 4 245 850 members. The party got this number by only multiplying the number of cells that it has, 84 917, by 50, the number of members that each cell is supposed to have. Some cells, however, do not have 50 people.
2). ZANU PF rakes in US$6.5m from donors, and members in 2022
According to financial accounts, which are part of the Central Committee report, ZANU PF in 2022 has raised Z$1.6 billion from subscriptions, donations, investments, and the government. It has raised US$6.4 million from donations, and another US$46 952 from subscriptions. There are no disclosures on donors. The party piloted Electronic Membership Cards in the Midlands Province in 2021, raising Z$2 177,849 and US$102 978 and it plans to roll this out to other provinces.
3). Grassroots campaigns, targeting interest groups for 2023
The party says its strategy for next year’s election is rebuilding grassroots structures, targeting special interest groups, and amplifying what it sees as successes in infrastructure. ZANU PF also targets different voter blocks including “persons in business and professionals”. The party will extend its outreach to churches, especially the apostolic churches, students and artisanal miners which account for a large group of potential voters. ZANU PF also says the “For ED” groups, which are growing in number, are key to growing its voter base.
4). Food Aid Impact
ZANU PF says food aid must be stepped up as “failure to do so will result in people voting with their stomachs”.
5). NGOs Aiding the Opposition
ZANU PF says the opposition is “penetrating ZANU PF strongholds, particularly rural constituencies”, and blames NGOs for this. It sees the small stipends of between US$10 and US$20 that are paid out to the vulnerable by aid agencies such as Goal Zimbabwe, Danish Church Aid and Plan International as a threat and a boon for the opposition.
6). 2023 Elections
i). ZANU PF claims the opposition CCC plans to use violence, saying opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s “war cry, “faka pressure”, is also likely to incite violence”.
ii). The party says plans by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network and the Election Resource Centre to conduct parallel voter tabulation next year “is a recipe for chaos and mayhem as well as a serious security threat”.
7). Internal fights may cost ZANU PF elections
The party says it lost two ward by-elections in Bulilima “owing to complacency, apathy and poor coordination amongst party functionaries”. ZANU PF’s security department warns that divisions over internal elections could cost the party.