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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF’s 10 provinces have submitted voter mobilisation targets towards the five million supporters the party aims to register for next year’s harmonised elections.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) aims to register about seven million people when the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise begins on Thursday.

The party’s political commissar, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, told party delegates during a commissariat workshop held in Bulawayo yesterday that they should all work towards sealing a resounding victory in the 2018 harmonised elections.

Cde Kasukuwere said his department had developed a winning strategy towards the elections, adding that it was important for the party to be united and plan together ahead of the polls.

“The Bulawayo chairman has promised to mobilise 140 000 voters for the party. In 2013 President Mugabe got 31 773 while the opposition got 100 648. I want us to be scientific. We have to look at what each constituency will give us and we have to make sure those voters exist. Mashonaland East has promised us 503 000 voters.

“Harare province has said it will give us 320 000 voters. Last time the province gave us 172 000 while  270 000 votes went to the opposition. Manicaland province gave use 258 000 votes against 178 000 to the MDC-T. This time we have been promised 510 000 voters as our target,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

Mashonaland Central province has set a target of  503 000 votes as their expected number. They have   403 party districts. Last time the province gave the President 327 455 votes against 52 000 for the opposition party.

“In 2013 Mashonaland East province gave us 320 719 against 99 394 for the opposition. The province has promised us 487 500 next year. Mashonaland West will give us 436 250 votes. In the 2013 elections the province gave us 277 312 while the opposition got 109 000. In Masvingo province we’re expecting 532 500 votes according to the target set by the leadership. Last time we had 285 806 against 120 160 votes for the opposition,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

He added that in Matabeleland South the party has been promised 203 000 votes. The party garnered 81 180 while the opposition got 71 301 in the 2013 elections.

“In Matabeleland North the President got 81 207 votes while the opposition got 115 985. The province has set a target of 237 500 votes for the party.

Midlands province has promised us 703 000. In 2013 they gave us 274 000 and 256 000 went to the opposition and they have 563 districts.

“These are the votes that we expect the President to get. Party chairpersons and ministers have to work together. Let’s put our differences aside and work towards these targets,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

He said extensive consultation was made in developing the election plan, which has since been approved by the Politburo.

Dr Ignatius Chombo, Zanu-PF’s secretary for administration, said the party was now in serious campaign mode for the 2018 elections.

“We can never over emphasise the importance of the forth coming elections that will give Zanu-PF the mandate to continue running the country.

“I’m pleased that the youth league has already set the pace with the Presidential Youth Interface Rallies which we have all seen to be overwhelmingly successful,” said Dr Chombo.

The rallies have attracted bumper crowds of intimidating proportions for the opposition.

Dr Chombo, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, said he had instructed the Registrar General to ensure that all people acquire identity documents to enable them to register to vote.

The registrar department last week released a programme for the mobile registration in all provinces as part of the national registration exercise that kicked off in the country on Monday, September 4.

The commissariat workshop on voter mobilisation and registration was attended by senior party members who included spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, deputy secretary for legal affairs Cde Paul Mangwana, Minister for Welfare of War Veterans, Detainees and Restrictees Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, Politburo and Central Committee members, ministers of state and provincial executive members as well as war veterans.

The workshop was part of the party’s activated expansive mobilisation exercise, with a nationwide headcount of members from cell to national levels underway.

@pamelashumba1