THE Zanu PF leadership in Manicaland, buoyed by a thumping victory in the recent Mutasa South national assembly polls, declared this week that it will win all 26 constituencies and wards in the forthcoming harmonised elections.

Zimbabwe heads for landmark polls later this year, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa will battle for the highest office against arch rival, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa.

But for decades, Zimbabwe’s ruling party has failed to garner a clean sweep in Manicaland, losing constituencies to Zanu Ndonga, the Zimbabwe Unity Movement, the Movement for Democratic Change formations and, more recently, CCC, which entered the fray in January last year.

The losses, especially in Mutare, Rusape, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Mutasa constituencies have been attributed to factionalism in the ruling party.

Manicaland has 26 constituencies, with Zanu PF controlling most rural seats.

In December last year, Zanu PF won resoundingly in the Mutasa North, Ward 6 council by-election, taking back the ward from the opposition, which had won it in 2018.

Misheck Mugadza of Zanu PF garnered 5 818 votes to beat CCC’s Regai Tsunga, who received 5 296 votes.

In an interview, Zanu PF interim provincial vice-chairperson Linda Florence Mathathu attributed the victory to unity among the leadership.

“The party leadership has shown strength in unity between the ordinary politicians and the remaining war veterans who are now leading from the front,” Mathathu said.

“We are certain of winning all seats when election time comes while President Mnangagwa will win 100% votes from Manicaland.”

Mathathu, who is also the provincial war veterans’ chairperson, applauded Mnangagwa for regaining the confidence of the former freedom fighters.

“There was a time when war veterans decided to take a foot back while the party was facing challenges that saw the ouster of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and the overthrow of the late President Robert Mugabe,” she said.

“I believe that was not in line with what we were taught during the liberation struggle. However, I want to point out that we have found each other as war veterans. The freedom fighters who were detached from the party are back and raring to go with campaigns.”

Mathathu joined the liberation struggle at the age of 13 in 1975 when she was a pupil at Mt Selinda.

She was deployed as a political commissar during the liberation struggle until independence but remained in the bush as the guerrillas returned home after the war.

“Our experience during the war will be handy when we go for elections and we are certain as the provincial leadership that Zanu PF will triumph,” she said.

President Mnangagwa said the election will be held sometime this year — in July or August — in line with Zimbabwe’s constitution.

However, Zanu PF faces a strong challenge from Nelson Chamisa’s CCC which showed a strong showing during the March 29 2022 by elections retaining all seats lost when they split from the MDC.

Mnangagwa is confident he will get five million votes while the CCC is targeting six million votes for Chamisa.

There are, however, fears that elections would be violent looking at the recent trend of ugly fights between the country’s two big political parties.