By Agencies
ZANU PF’s national cell day exposed growing discontent within the ruling party, with grassroots supporters accusing top leadership of enriching themselves while ordinary members are left with little more than symbolic gestures.
Zanu PF held its annual national cell day on Saturday, an exercise that saw members across the country verifying their names in party wards, including party leadership.
A Zanu PF supporter in ward 11 in Mutare said only the party’s top leadership were benefiting from empowerment programmes.
“It was good to come to the event, but this was only symbolic, because from the grassroots we are not happy. Only the party leadership are benefiting. They have mines, farms and everything they want; they get it,” said the supporter, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation.
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Another supporter in Mutare described it as a worrying trend that party bigwigs are the biggest beneficiaries.
“We love Zanu PF, but there is a worrying trend that only party leadership is benefiting from the many projects, and we are not happy at all,” he said.
“We have been used and bussed to rallies, and sometimes we are dumped once we are at the rallies and given one piece of chicken and chips. This is not good at all for us.”
Several party supporters in Chipinge and Buhera districts in Manicaland province echoed similar sentiments, accusing party leadership of enriching themselves at the expense of the rank and file.
Political analyst Reason Wafawarova said the grassroots are merely wanted for votes.
“Zanu PF itself has been captured. Its grassroots supporters, like everyone else, have been robbed of the right to vote,” Wafawarova said.
“They are just wanted for votes; any form of help is symbolic and a form of theatre.
“This is how President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration works.”
He said there is nothing in Constitution Amendment No 3 Bill (CAB 3) about Zanu PF supporters, describing it as a power-capturing Bill by the elite and for the elite.
Another analyst, Tendai Ruben Mbofana, said there is nothing tangible in the Bill for the ordinary person in the ruling party.
“CAB 3 is a piece of structural political engineering aimed at changing how power is structured, not a public welfare or economic development programme,” he said.
“Whether it benefits ordinary people or just the political elite depends entirely on how one views its core changes.”
