ZANU PF’s nationwide cell structure mobilisation programme intensified in Harare yesterday as the province’s top leadership deployed party cadres across the capital’s urban constituencies to sell Constitutional Amendment Number 3 to sceptical residents.
The Harare Provincial Executive Committee has activated the party’s district and cell structures in a coordinated blitz aimed at countering growing urban resistance to the Bill, which seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.
Provincial Chairman Goodwills Masimirembwa kicked off the sensitisation programme with an address to party district coordinators, declaring that Harare’s diverse constituency required a tailored approach to what he termed “ideological reorientation.”
“We are not just knocking on doors, we are rebuilding the revolutionary consciousness of our people in the townships and suburbs,”
“The cell system is our weapon. Every district, every branch, every cell must become a centre of explanation for why Amendment Number 3 is necessary for the continuity of development. Harare cannot be left behind in this war,” said Chairman Masimirembwa.
He emphasised that the 90-day public consultation period mandated by the gazetting of the Bill must be utilised aggressively in the capital, where opposition to the amendment has been vocal.
Vice Chairman Fundukwa, tasked with overseeing mobilisation in high-density suburbs, moved swiftly to activate structures in Mbare, Budiriro, and Glen View, areas traditionally seen as opposition strongholds.
Addressing a cell coordinators’ meeting in Harare, Cde Fundukwa dismissed narratives that Harare’s urban constituencies were a lost cause for the ruling party’s agenda.
“The people of Harare understand development. They understand continuity. We are here to tell them that extending the electoral cycle from five to seven years means their roads will be finished, their clinics will stay open and their water projects will not be abandoned every time an election comes around,” said Cde Fundukwa.
He referenced the disruption caused by frequent elections, a message that has resonated in some rural communities during sensitisation meetings .
“When you have to stop development to go and campaign every five years, who suffers? It is the people in these high-density suburbs. Seven years gives us time to deliver,” he said.
Provincial Political Commissar Cde Voyage Dambuza, the architect of Harare’s grassroots strategy, has been conducting training sessions for cell leaders, equipping them with messaging and mobilisation techniques.
CDE Dambuza outlined a rigorous schedule for the province’s 29 constituencies, with weekly feedback reports expected from district coordinating committees.
“We have moved beyond general meetings. We are now at the cell level, the foundation of our party structure,” Dambuza said during a briefing in Kuwadzana. “Every cell must deliver its community. We are not asking. We are mobilising. The Commissariat will be monitoring progress daily, and any cell that fails to engage its residents will be held accountable,” said Cde Dambuza.
He said that the sensitisation program was not merely about explaining the Bill, but about “defending the gains of independence” and ensuring that President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 remained on track.
The Harare mobilisation drive mirrors the national strategy outlined by ZANU PF Secretary General Advocate Jacob Mudenda, who has declared the amendment process a “new war” for the party .
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously emphasised the importance of the cell system, describing National Cell/Village Day as crucial for reinforcing party strength and building genuine membership . The Harare province has adopted this directive, with cells now functioning as the primary vehicles for community engagement on the constitutional changes.
The party’s Youth League has also been deployed across Harare’s constituencies, with National Youth League Political Commissar Taurai Kandishaya recently backing the Bill as a “strategic instrument” for unity and continuity aligned with Vision 2030.
The Harare leadership acknowledged that urban constituencies present unique challenges, given the active presence of civil society organisations and opposition structures opposing the amendment.
However, Masimirembwa remained defiant, urging party structures to engage residents directly rather than through media debates.
“Let us go to the people. Let us sit with them in their communities and explain. When they understand that this is about development, about stability, about continuity, they will support us,” he said.
The Harare Provincial Executive Committee has scheduled daily feedback meetings throughout the 90-day consultation period, with weekly progress reports expected to be submitted to the national Politburo.
As the cell system mobilises across the capital’s diverse constituencies, the battle for Harare’s hearts and minds on Amendment Number 3 has begun in earnest.
