The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party says it is continuously working in rural communities to mobilize for votes ahead of the 2023 elections following allegations that the party is centralized around urban centres where there are easy pickings.
This weekend’s by-elections in Mberengwa and Nyanga visited the long-time debate that opposition parties are relatively weaker in rural constituencies as ZanuPF retained both seats in the respective wards.
CCC Secretary General Charlton Hwende said they are working in rural areas to mobilize voters.
“We have been given tasks to ensure that we work hard in our rural districts I am working in Mhondoro doing two Constituencies Mhondoro Mubaira and Mhondoro Ngezi other leaders are also working in their Districts,” Hwende.
He bullishly declared that all constituencies are winnable despite ZanuPF’s stronghold.
“I can not impose myself but if the people in that constituency are agreeable I will seriously consider it. Hapana Constituency isinga hwinike (There is no constituency which cannot be won) he added.
The Zanu PF party has long been accused by civil society organisations and opposition leaders of using state resources and traditional chiefs to perpetuate the ruling party’s ideologies and influence elections particularly in their heartland: the rural areas.
Traditional chiefs remain important to the government in rural areas as they help mobilise votes for the ruling party using state resources.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has commended the people of Mberengwa and Nyanga for attaching importance to local authority elections through participation.
ZESN observers reported that around 11:00 hours, most of the voters who were turning up to vote were predominantly women followed by elderly persons. ZESN said the election was done following the set procedures including adhering to the ZEC COVID-19 Policy which requires among other things not to permit anyone to enter the polling station without a mask and for ZEC to keep a register of all those that present themselves at the polling stations to enable contact tracing
