ACTING MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe has distanced her party
from the July 31 anti-corruption protests being mooted by other opposition
parties which she has described as untimely given the ongoing Covid-19
pandemic.
In an interview with the Daily News on Sunday, Khupe said
the protests being planned by opposition and pro-democracy organisations would
be "stupid to risk people's lives just to make a political statement".
"The fight against coronavirus (Covid-19) is a
collective responsibility and we cannot reverse the gains we have made so far
as a nation in combating its spread for political expediency.
"What is there to demonstrate for? Against who? We are
not going to be part to that because for us as a party, people's lives are more
important than scoring cheap political goals. It will be stupid for any
political party to do that," said Khupe through her spokesperson
Khaliphani Phugeni.
Khupe's disapproval of the planned demonstration comes
after MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa endorsed the proposed July 31 protest
which is being spearheaded by Transform Zimbabwe (T.Z) leader, Jacob
Ngarivhume.
"We are seeing other people starting their own
initiatives. We want to tell you that we will support any democratic initiative
that can result in freedom for the people. We will join those initiatives. Even
those who are in government and want to work towards freedom, we will support
them even the civil servants," said the MDC Alliance leader during a
recent e-rally.
But while presidential spokesperson George Charamba
recently hinted that the demonstration would not be sanctioned by the police,
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Eldred Masunungure, said the government could use the covid-19
pandemic as an excuse to descend heavily on the protesters.
"The call for demonstrations is warranted, defendable
and legitimate because the situation has become desperate for Zimbabweans.
"However, the heavy hand of the State awaits those
that will partake in the planned demonstration, and in the face of Covid-19,
authorities will not hesitate to use a hammer to kill a fly.
"The State will likely go into its default mode of
heavy-handedness to send a strong signal, like what happened with previous
flash demonstrations, including the recent one in Warren Park,"
Masunungure told the Daily News.
"The opposition,
therefore, has limited options because the freedom to demonstrate is only on
paper. The democratic space is under lock and key.
"The reality is that nothing will change unless
political gladiators in the country dialogue. ED should also realise that he
has tried all he can to work on the economy on his own, and he has failed.
"His own supporters probably agree on this abysmal
failure and also on the fact that all that needed to go wrong since he came to
power in 2017 has gone awfully wrong.
"The only viable solution is thus a roundtable
dialogue with the so-called enemies of the State (political rivals)."
Addressing a Zanu-PF policy meeting at the party
headquarters in Harare last Monday, party secretary for administration Obert
Mpofu said authorities were aware of the "anti-establishment agendas"
of "our detractors".
"The party is aware of the planned mass protests which
are being organised by MDC Alliance renegades, Tajamuka, Front for Economic
Emancipation in Zimbabwe led by the ex-party youth commissar Godfrey Tsenengamu
and other media protagonists.
"Our security department should constantly alert us on
this clear present danger of this unholy alliance. We also take note and
welcome the prosecutor-general's efforts for the extradition of Jonathan Moyo
from Kenya as he is the figment of the external demonisation of the leadership
and exhorting mass uprising in the country," Mpofu said.
He claimed there was a plot to soil the ruling Zanu-PF's
name during the mooted demonstrations.
"Our security departments' jealously guarding the
integrity and reputation of the party is critical. It is discomforting that an individual was
arrested in Kuwadzana printing our Zanu-PF and CIO cards, the level of and
sophistication of such an act only points to the fact that there are leakages
and gross breaches of our internal security system which must be thoroughly
investigated," said Mpofu.
The Zanu-PF secretary for administration, however, conceded
that Zimbabwe was facing serious economic challenges and that "interventions
on monetary and fiscal policy are not yielding desired effects." Daily
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