ZANU PF is going for
broke ahead of the July 30 general elections with a war chest of over $200
million despite reports that the ruling party is broke. The extravagant
campaign has raised questions about the source of the funding amid allegations
that foreign countries are bankrolling Zanu PF.
Standard reporter Obey Martin Manayiti (OMM) yesterday
spoke to Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu (OM), who defended the spending, saying the ruling
party had many sources of money. He also spoke about allegations that the
selection of primary candidates had left Zanu PF in tatters and that there were
fears President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s campaign might be sabotaged by disgruntled
party members. Below are excerpts from the interview.
OMM: The divisions that
rocked Zanu PF during the primary elections seem to be persisting despite the nomination
court sitting last Thursday where some candidates decided to stand as
independents. How are you addressing those problems?
OM: It is their democratic right to do so although there
are quite a few that have gone that route. The majority are working with those
that succeeded in the primary elections. There are just a few cases where some
of our aspiring candidates have chosen to go independent.
OMM: So you are not worried about them?
OM: We are worried in as far as these are our members, but
if they decide to take that course there is not much we can do. They know that
Zanu PF is a democratic party and it will not dissuade people from pursuing their missions in whatever
way.
OMM: It seems as if Zanu PF is overconfident about winning
the forthcoming harmonised elections. What makes you that confident?
OM: No, my brother, we are the only party that has upheld
the aspirations of the people before independence where we fought for the
emancipation of our country and after independence we have tried, regardless of
the economic challenges. Zanu PF has
always tried to uplift the majority of our people. Remember the land reform
programme, the issue of peace and we are the only party that can assure
stability in this country. If you look at our manifesto, it addresses all the
aspects of people’s freedoms and rights and others.
OMM: Zanu PF has been saying it will do things differently
during this election campaign. Please explain what you mean by that?
OM: Firstly, we had over 10 000 members of the party
seeking to be nominated as Members of Parliament and that opened the space for
people’s wishes. All of them were processed and at the end of it all, we had
the required number of MPs and councillors as per the constitution.
Secondly, we have assured the nation of peace and stability
during the campaign period and at the time of elections. I am the minister of
Home Affairs and I have given instructions across the board that police should
deal with whoever goes astray. Whoever feels interfered with or intimidated or
threatened on political grounds should report to the nearest police station and
that will be dealt with.
We have also asked the world to come and participate in the
observation of our electoral processes and this has never happened before. We
have said the door is open for any interest groups and individuals who are
interested to see how we conduct our elections.
However, we have not invited them to come and interfere
with our processes. We might have one or two instances, you know, when dealing
with human beings there could be one or two who are against the rules, but we
want to deal with whatever comes in terms of interfering with due processes
across all political parties.
My president is prepared to meet with his colleagues who
are contesting against him just to assure them of the same message and also to
get their assurances of how they are going to conduct themselves.
OMM: Critics say this Zanu PF campaign lacks direction
compared to those of the Robert Mugabe
era. What is your reaction to that?
OM: We are not talking about the era of former president
Robert Mugabe. We are talking about the
current dispensation whose superintendent is none other than President Emmerson
Mnangagwa, who himself was a subject of unfair justice and he knows exactly
what it means to subject people to unjust conduct or process of political
activity.
Therefore, he means what he says because he experienced it
himself during that period. We are very clear as cabinet, politburo and members
of the party of his vision of a peaceful Zimbabwe and at no time has he ever
mentioned to us anything to do with violent politics. He urges us to conduct ourselves
peacefully and to allow other players to do their game without fear or
favour.
OMM: But people are saying Zanu PF lacks sharpness and
precision.
OM: What does that mean?
OMM: Judging by the way you are doing things right now?
OM: We have not yet started our campaign activities. It
will only start now because the nomination court is done. Zanu PF is just
moving around and the president has been moving around to look at projects and
appreciate the economic state of provinces and now we are going for a full
throttle campaign through star rallies.
We will despatch our vice-presidents throughout the
country, the politburo members and we have lined up star rallies for the
president throughout the country. The opposition is yet to see the juggernaut
of Zanu PF when it comes to appealing to membership and its voters. Those
saying we are not active on the ground must wait and see
OMM: The president revealed that there is a group of Zanu
PF candidates plotting to impeach him if he wins the presidency. What is Zanu
PF doing to prevent that?
OM: The election process for candidates in Zanu PF was very
thorough exactly to address some of those issues and it will be naïve for
anyone to think of jumping out of a moving train.
Zanu PF is a train that is going to deliver people to
prosperity and who will ever contemplate leaving the party under our
leadership? Of course, there were people who thought it would be the case but
look, Zanu PF is the party of delivery and we have candidates who have gone through
thorough screening of the party to represent the party and I can assure you
that no candidates are going to be found wanting when it comes to loyalty to
the party. We may have individuals like in any situation who have such
tendencies, but we will be on the lookout to make sure that it will not happen.
OMM: Do you fear a bhora musango (redirected
votes)campaign?
OM: Any political party will have concerns about that, but
we have selected candidates that will ensure that their voters vote for Zanu
PF. Even if we have such people they will still lose anyway. Zanu PF has enough
genuine supporters who will ensure that the party wins this harmonised
election.
OMM: The opposition has continuously claimed that Zanu PF
has roped in the military in its campaign, especially in rural areas for
purposes of intimidating the electorate. What is your reaction to that?
OM: Again we always get surprised by the opposition
parties. Their message is just about Zanu PF, that is the only thing they can
deliver to the electorate and think they can win an election.
They have been complaining about everything, but we have
challenged them to come up with evidence that such a development is happening.
After all, we have retired policemen, military, prison officers who have chosen
to take political careers be it in Zanu PF, MDC or any other political party
and that is their right as Zimbabweans.
If they are talking about uniformed forces, then their
concerns are totally misplaced. We have members of the party who retired from
the private sector, government, from the army, police or wherever and how do we
chase away people who want to come to the party just because they have been in
certain organisations of the government? They are free to join any party of
their choice.
They talk about this, but we wonder what their concerns
are. I know of a lot of former army generals who are in MDC or in other
parties. for example, (Ambrose) Mutinhiri, who was my instructor during the
war, he is a well-respected general, but now he is in the opposition. (Agrippa)
Mutambara is in the opposition and why don’t they talk about them if they don’t
want people who were in the army to join the politics of this country?
OMM: Zanu PF is running an expensive campaign. Where are
you getting the money since a recent central committee report revealed that the
party is broke?
OM: We have never run a cheap campaign, my brother, we
prepare ourselves and Zanu PF is the only most organised political party in
this country. As you may have seen during our nomination, there were no issues
on the Zanu PF side.
We have always budgeted for our campaigns and what we are
doing is exactly what we have done before although we are even now more
modernised in our campaigns than we used to be before.
Just a few minutes ago you were saying we are lacking
precision, but you are now saying the campaign is very sophisticated. I am the
secretary-general of the party and what we are doing is what we have planned
for. It is going according to plan and the resources are there, we have
mobilised the resources. This is not unusual because we planned it although now
we are a gear up.
OMM: But where is Zanu PF getting that money?
OM: Zanu PF has over three million members and they
subscribe to the party. We have diaspora support who have come up and
identified themselves with our programmes and our campaigns.
We have well-wishers, businesspeople in Zimbabwe who are
associating with the party and it’s overwhelming when it comes to the support
of the party. That is why we are actually managing our campaign through quite
advanced resources, but I know you want me to comment on the millions that have
been talked about in the media.
OMM: Yes, you can comment on that.
OM: This is the party’s resources through well-wishers and
companies that support us, but if you have any information outside what I am
telling you please provide evidence. I am fully aware of what is happening in
the treasury of the party and this is a party of choice. People love Zanu PF.
OMM: Why were you keeping a secret account with so much
money?
OM: How can an account be secret when it is in a bank here
in Zimbabwe? All accounts are secret, isn’t it? I don’t know what the MDC
account is.
When is an account called public? All accounts are secret
to their owners and you want Zanu PF to advertise its account just for the sake
of transparency?
It doesn’t work that way. It is not only that account
alone, Zanu PF has accounts to support various programmes in its departments so
that account you are talking about is the party’s account and if you want to
call it secret, well, but you know about it. Standard
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