Political Reporter

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Gokwe Central member, Dickson Choto yesterday defected to the ruling ZANU PF party saying that he was enticed by the Second Republic’s development drive.

Choto, who surrendered his CCC regalia to ZANU PF leaders in Gokwe, likened his stay in CCC to someone who was walking in darkness.

“Ndirikuchembera ndichimhanyisana nezvinhu zvisina maturo. Ndakaedza kumhanya nacho (CCC) but ndiri munhu arikungotambura nanhasi. Handina kumboona pundutso kana kwataiendeswa ne CCC.Ndauya kuzosiya hanzu dzangu idzi nekuti hadzina zvadziri kundipa kunze kwekundipa nhamo,” said Choto.

Choto added that he decided to go back to ZANU PF as a result of its people centred policies. He said he regreted joining opposition politics as he didn’t benefit anything from his association with CCC.

Choto was not the only CCC member to have defected to ZANU PF. In August this year, 33 members from that party in Matabeleland South defected to the ruling Party accusing the opposition party of lacking political direction.

The wife of CCC interim Matabeleland North provincial chairman, Prince Dubeko Sibanda, Memory, also defected to ZANU PF this year saying that she was attracted by ZANU PF’s progressive development policies

Meanwhile, ZANU PF is strengthening its structures ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections. The Party is targeting at least five million votes for President Mnangagwa in the forthcoming elections.

ZANU PF’s Director of Information, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, claimed on 22 August 2021 that the Party had ‘quantifiable and verifiable membership of 3 624 050 from more than 72 752 cell structures across the country’.

The ZANU PF central committee report tabled at last year’s 19th Annual People’s Conference put the officially registered party numbers at 3 637 600 as of 4 September 2021.

(Please add a bit of what is in Mbofana’s article where 32 also defected to same in Matobo District)