ZANU PF took the first major undertaking in its
new life without former president Robert Mugabe, who was toppled in a coup last
year, with the party holding chaotic primary elections early this month.
Several aspiring candidates accused the party’s
commissariat led by retired general Engelbert Rugeje of rigging in favour of
its preferred candidates.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s special advisor
Christopher Mutsvangwa, who had been pummelled in Norton by a newcomer, went as
far as warning that the Zanu PF leader risked losing the elections expected
between mid-July and August.
Zanu PF supporters have also been taking turns
to hold demonstrations at the party’s headquarters in Harare after their
preferred candidates were allegedly cheated in the primaries.
The ruling party is rolling out a big and
well-resourced campaign that has seen the acquisition of top-of-the-range
vehicles and erection of huge campaign billboards across the country.
Standard Obey Martin Manayiti (OMM) spoke to
Znau PF’s chairperson Oppah Muchinguri (OM) to understand the dynamics in the
ruling party in the aftermath of the coup and on the eve of watershed
elections.
Muchinguri, among other things, said Zanu PF
did not expect Mugabe to campaign for Mnangagwa because he was now too old.
Below are excerpts from the interview.
OMM: There is confusion over the outcome of the
recent Zanu PF primary elections with reports that you were one of the bigwigs
that fell by the wayside in Manicaland. What is the true position?
OM: There is no confusion at all, given that
90% went through, and complaints came from only 10% of the areas where
elections were held, a sign that we prevailed and are now ready for elections.
Zanu PF is a democratic party with clear
policies and rules and regulations for the conduct of primary elections and as
we went for the elections, we were guided by these.
As you might now be aware, in all the areas
where rerun elections were held, the results remained unchanged.
As a party, we are now working towards uniting
all candidates and moving forward with the best interests of the party in mind.
Responding to the second part of your question,
indeed I lost, but only in one constituency, while I won resoundingly in the
other constituencies, thereby emerging the winner.
It is unfortunate that some unruly elements went
on a rampage mudslinging me on social media. If I had lost, I would have
conceded defeat as a seasoned politician. I have lost before, that is in 2008,
but I never forced my way into the system.
OMM: Some losing candidates, including
Mnangagwa’s special advisor, Chris Mutsvangwa, allege there was massive rigging
in the polls. What is your comment on that?
OM: Unfortunately, I cannot answer on behalf of
Cde Mutsvangwa or any other losing candidates.
It might be true that there was rigging in Cde
Mutsvangwa’s constituency, that is why there was a resolution to have a rerun
in the constituency.
However, this does not mean there was rigging
in all constituencies we received complaints from.
What I know is as a system, everything was
above board, except for a few logistical challenges, harassment of voters in
some areas and names not appearing on ballot papers.
It is, however, important to note that this
electoral process was very democratic, where any member was allowed to contest
and cell registers were used.
This might not have gone down well with some
party members who would have been comfortable with not being contested, hence
all this confusion.
OMM: Where is Zanu PF getting the money it is
spending on giant election campaign billboards and campaign regalia when it is
known that the party is in the red?
OM: The party is well-resourced; remember it is
a private entity with a lot of investments.
The party also has a huge membership and we get
subscriptions from our members.
We also have local partners who donate to the
party. I am surprised where you are getting this assertion that Zanu PF is in
the red because as far as I am concerned, no audit has been conducted to prove
this.
OMM: Are there any foreign governments funding
Zanu PF?
OM: Not to my knowledge.
OMM: How about reports that some businesspeople
known to be involved in shady deals are bankrolling Zanu PF to get protection?
OM: Zanu PF under the new dispensation does not
tolerate corruption and our theme for this year’s elections states that: “Fight
Corruption”, hence there is no way we would want to be seen associating with
thieves.
If you have knowledge of these, we would want
them brought to our attention so they are brought before the law
OMM: As Zanu PF chairperson, what are you doing
to instil discipline in light of the havoc caused by the primary elections?
OM: As you might be aware, I am also the
chairperson of the party’s national disciplinary committee.
As such, we have been dealing with all the
appeals brought to our attention individually and appropriate action will be
taken.
Investigations will be carried out to confirm
or refute allegations surrounding the conduct of the primary elections.
We will also ensure that appellants get redress
while perpetrators are brought to book.
All this will be done in the best interests of
the party, with a bid to ensure that the party remains a united front.
OMM: There are reports of the emergence of
factions in Zanu PF aligned to the military and civilians. What is your comment
on that?
OM: As a party, we have not witnessed this as
yet. It is common knowledge that wherever there are two or more people, conflict
is likely to arise. However, as a party we have our means to
resolve conflict. As you are aware, factions in the party were caused by
(Mugabe’s) succession issue but since we chose a leader supported by everyone,
we have not heard of factions.
These might just be individual perceptions of
people bent on seeing Zanu PF divided.
I, however, want to assure you that Zanu PF has
never been this united and we do not foresee any factions emerging in the near
future.
OMM: Do you see Mugabe campaigning for Zanu PF
ahead of elections?
OM: He is retired and we respect him as our
leader who led us for 37 years but we appreciate he needs to rest. It is unfair for us to expect a 94-year-old to
campaign for us. We are content with the contributions he has already made.
OMM: Are you worried that Mugabe is rallying
the opposition to challenge Mnangagwa?
OM: All this is circulating on social media and
we cannot depend on hearsay. Standard
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