HARARE - In a desperate bid to marshal support ahead of elections Zanu (PF) has dispatched its top leadership and party executives to attend apostolic churches services to influence them to join the party. The campaign has been code-named Re-invigorating the Party.
The Zimbabwean has in its possession a comprehensive document that was leaked from Zanu (PF) that spells out ways in which the former ruling party intends to re-establish itself as a formidable party.
The party highlights in the document that it wants to infiltrate media and non-governmental organisations and churches.
Already Zanu (PF) heavies have began attending church meetings that are organised by apostolic sects with the intention of influencing the church leaders to champion the Zanu (PF) course. The party national Commissar Webster Shamu was on Saturday in attendance at the Johanne Marange mass meeting in Madziwa. He told members of the sect to support Zanu PF. He also castigated the local media for negative publicity on members of the apostolic church.
A few weeks ago Mwenezi-Chivi senator and former Masvingo Province Resident Minister Josiah Hungwe was heckled by followers of Johanne Masowe Apostolic sect after he urged the sect members to support the party.
The churchs camp site was later torched by suspected CIO. Church leaders said they had received threatening calls after the heckling of the governor.
During the same week Zanu PF Women’s League Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri and
Didymus Mutasa were in Rusape coaxing members of the Marange Apostolic sect to be faithful members of Zanu PF.
According to the document: “There are church leaders who are on the ground and having the largest most faithful and trustworthy constituency, who have come up with some practical counter
measures to disable the functionality and destroy the MDC tentacles that are threatening to hand over our country to the whites.
“Our aim in this exercise is to make Zanu (PF) our liberation party, the sole party with the mandate to rule Zimbabwe ad infinitum by mobilising Zimbabweans to rally behind the party and continue holding on to the tested and proven able leadership of our gallant son of Africa, his excellence president (Robert Mugabe) RG Mugabe,” read the document.
In the document, Zanu (PF) points at state institutions such as the Ministry of Women Affairs , Ministry of Youths , Ministry of Higher Education , churches, state media and the indigenisation programme as the multiple- pronged weaponry that it has to use in order to counter the MDC dominance.
The document said it will hold seminars for church leaders and also use them in ‘political hotspots’ like Matebeleland North and South, Gokwe North and Mutare urban to preach the gospel .
According to impeccable sources, Zanu( PF) has identified two senior Johanne Marange members to lead the whirlwind of politicisation of the church. These were named as John Matukutire, a war veteran and Peter Matengu.
Matengu will monitor, and if need arises, recommend the expulsion from one of the biggest apostolic sects in Zimbabwe, members who “are deemed” supporters or sympathisers of the MDC-T.
The two leaders will act as commanders and will work closely with members of the dreaded CIO who will expel MDC members on the pretext that there is no room for politics in the church.
The Zanu (PF) document also noted that the church leaders who are going to be part and parcel of the exercise have vast experience “in the art and science of mass mobilisation, persuasion, propagation , orientation and conscientisation as there are doing these exercises on a daily basis in
their congregations.
It said an an average church leader in normal circumstances stands and preaches to 300 or more people per session. His influence is so vast and is viewed as consistent, credible, trustworthy truthful and his word is taken at face value without any benefit of doubt.”
Post published in: News