Brighton Chiseva
Zanu PF National Secretary for Legal Affairs Paul Mangwana recently told village heads in Chingwizi to pledge the number of votes each will bring to Zanu PF on the March 26 by-election.
Mangwana was speaking at a rally organised by Zanu PF in Chingwizi area where he called all village heads and cell chairpersons, telling them to pledge the number of votes each will bring to the ruling party in the upcoming by-election.
“I want all the cell chairpersons here and all village heads to come here. We are in a war and these are our field commanders so you have to listen to them. So I want them pledge to us how many votes each is going to produce for Zanu PF and (Master) Makope on 26 March.
“After this meeting, leadership, I want to you to sit down with these people and each one should tell us the votes he or she will give to Zanu PF and Cde Makope from his area in the upcoming election. After the election, we will have another rally here where we would want to see how each one of you has performed,” said Mangwana.
He went on to order the registry department operating in the area to be lenient with people so that they get access to identity cards and other important documents for them to register to vote.
“I also heard people complaining also against the registry department. We have brought their boss, the District Development Coordinator here. So DDC, please tell the registry department to be lenient with these people when they go to get IDs,” said Mangwana.
Speaking at the same event, Zanu PF chief whip and Gutu South MP Pupurai Togarepi labelled all the people in Chingwizi as belonging to Zanu PF saying victory was certain.
He went on to praise Zanu PF candidate for Mwenezi East Makope as the best saying he will soon have him in parliament.
“If you meet a woman or a youth in Chingwizi you have met Zanu PF. I want to thank you for that and I am happy because I heard Makope speaking and I knew as the chief whip in parliament that I have got another best MP,” said Togarepi.
Makope will battle it out with Free Zimbabwe Congress’ Turner Mhango and Tendekai Mandizvidza of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
Zanu PF has been known to use traditional leaders to intimidate their subjects into voting Zanu PF, a trick that has worked over the years and gave the party control over the rural electorate.
Last year Chiefs were taken for induction together with the District Development Committee members who had been elected where they were inducted by members from the Hebert Chitepo School of ideology.
Mwenezi, Zaka and Bikita traditional leaders are known to be Zanu PF supporters and would force their people to vote for Zanu PF, threatening all those who vote for the opposition with unknown consequences.
Chief Nyakunhuwa of Zaka once bragged publicly that all headmen should join Zanu PF.
