The ruling ZANU PF party has expressed confidence in victory in the general elections scheduled for 2023.
This follows the party’s victory in by-elections held in several wards across the country on 03 December 2022.
Out of the five wards that were up for grabs, ZANU PF won three while the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa bagged the remainder.
Addressing the media at the ZANU PF headquarters in Harare on Thursday, party National Political Commissar Mike Bimha, said:
ZANU PF participated in the recent by-elections with a clear intent to win in all the wards because there is growing confidence in the way the ruling Party is handling and managing national issues.
The Party has been renewing and creating sustainable relationships with rural and urban communities and generally responding to critical issues that matter to the people around the country.
The broad array of policy initiatives put in place by government since 2018, created a sense of new beginnings and new possibilities for everyone.
The development approach that emphasises local and project-based programmes impact positively on livelihoods both in rural and urban settings resulting in a sense of hope and anticipation.
Bimha said, unlike opposition political parties that rely on “empty rhetoric” ZANU PF has been improving the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans in tangible ways. He said:
The political landscape is changing in favor of ZANU PF for a lot of reasons but most importantly coz other political outfits rely on empty rhetoric at the expense of tangible deliverables resulting in ZANU-PF winning resoundingly improving its share of the vote.
The recent by-election results in Binga, Ward 20, Gweru Urban, Ward 5 and Mberengwa, Ward 28 are a mirror held up to Zimbabweans so they can see the shift of political attitudes in favor of the ruling Party.
This shift is not predicated on some cheap political propaganda but on visible and tangible results of well-planned community and public investment programs throughout the country. No place and No one is being left behind.
The ruling Party’s commitment to dealing with key issues and policy areas at local and national level is unmatched and the public can see for themselves that ZANU PF is not just talking but taking practical steps to address problems that face our communities.
Most communities are able to see and relate to programs being implemented by the ruling Party and evidence of what’s in it for the people is verifiably present for everyone to see.
He said people in urban areas have now realised that opposition parties have nothing to offer, hence ZANU PF’s improved performance in towns and cities. Said Bimha:
What can not be denied today is that people in urban areas now know very clearly that those in control of cities are big at talking but totally incapable of delivering basic services to the people.
We are comfortable as a Party that we did well and we deserve the victory and the improved vote margins.