THE opposition MDC party says it will be grabbing “popcorn
and chairs” for front row seats in what appears to be factional fights playing
out in the ruling Zanu PF, where officials are tearing each other apart over
alleged corruption.
Party leader Nelson Chamisa said the MDC would not disturb
its opponents as they tear each other apart, and neither would they join the
game, but instead watch and cheer from the terraces.
“We will not disturb our opponents as they tear each other
apart, in what is clearly political and factional fights. These people are
cruel and do not care about anything, but just
power alone,” Chamisa said.
“This is not a fight against corruption, but a fight for
political power within the party using the youth. If this was a genuine fight
against corruption, where are the police? Do you
mean the Zanu PF youth league has more intelligence than
the police and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission?”
The MDC joined Zanu PF in Parliament and on the streets for
a march to oust then President Robert Mugabe from power through impeachment and
mass demonstrations following the November 2017 coup.
After Mugabe was pushed out, Zanu PF claimed the spoils and
kept the opposition at bay, saying this was an internal issue and had nothing
to do with opposition political parties.
Chamisa said recent events in which the Zanu PF youth
league fingered top party bosses and ministers in corruption was an attempt to
divert the attention of the majority from the real issues.
“Ask yourself why some people known for being behind
corrupt activities are missing from that list. It’s a high sounding nothing
from an ostrich government which buries its head in
the sand at the sign of a crisis, but the problem with
burying your head is you will hear or see nothing,” he said.
Chamisa said if President Emmerson Mnangagwa was serious
about fighting corruption, he would let the police do a professional job while
he concentrated on ending the economic crisis, which he said had its roots in
political circles.
“This is a crisis too long. We do not deserve a day longer
in this crisis and what hurts is the time wasted for the youth and hardworking
people who lose pensions and savings to this
cruel government,” he said.
But Zanu PF deputy youth secretary Lewis Matutu said his
team was just warming up and would soon name MDC leaders who were also part of
the corruption bandwagon.
“This is not a Zanu PF fight. Everyone should be involved
and we are going to name more. We are going after even the MDC leaders who are
corrupt and even journalists who are receiving money to cover up corrupt deeds,” he said.
However, MDC youth assembly boss Obey Sithole yesterday
described the anti-corruption drive as nothing, but a diversionary tactic to
stop Zimbabweans from focusing on the pressing socio-economic issues.
Sithole said the country is reeling under the
ever-worsening economic scourge, which has seen prices of basic commodities
spiralling beyond the reach of many.
He accused Zanu PF of authoring and perpetuating corruption
in Zimbabwe, while urging the country to resist being swayed from the main
issue.
“It is an insult to the people of Zimbabwe for the Zanu PF
youth league to name and shame officials in the corruption-laden party, leaving
a big elephant in the house, for we all know
that a fish rots from the head,” Sithole said in a Press
statement, adding that most Zanu PF officials had been implicated in some
corruption cases.
Sithole maintained the naming and shaming was nothing, but
a ruse.
“It is clear that the anti-corruption facade by Zanu PF is
meant to achieve two things, which are not in any way interlinked to the war
against corruption.
“Firstly, the attention-seeking drama is bent on
entertaining and diverting the long-suffering citizenry from focusing on
souring prices and stinking poverty authored by the very same
party. Secondly, and more importantly to Zanu PF, is that
this is an internal detonation that is meant to purge remnants of the G40 and
those aligned to Vice-President Constantano
Chiwenga’s factional camp,” Sithole said.
“In short, this is a factional battle at play which has nothing
to do with the fight against corruption. If anything, the Zanu PF youth
league’s so-called anti-corruption drive exposes
and portrays the corrupt nature of State institutions like
Zacc [Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission] and ZRP [Zimbabwe Republic Police].”
The opposition has been threatening to take to the streets
to force the Zanu PF-led government to deal with the economic mess. Newsday
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