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OPINION ON WHY ZANUPF WON ELECTIONS

Smangaliso Mkhatshwa  (Fr.)

The elections in Zim have come and gone. I want to suggest why ZanuPF won and defeated the MDC coalition. The November military coup was effected with panache. Its leaders are steeped in the ZanuPF ideology and highly educated. They are not your usual rifle-toting power mongers. The timing was perfect. Mugabe, whilst still highlyrespected, had messed up big time. The last straw was when Bob condoned the ungovernable conduct of his wife, our South African born girl. The soldiers had calculated that many people were ready for change of guard.


It is surmised that the ZanuPf had quietly consulted SADC and China. They handled Mugabe in a dignified manner and even declared his birthday a public holiday! There was little evidence of revenge arrests of opponents, except those who had committed crimes. The new regime announced that free elections would be held as per the constitution. Opposition parties and candidates were allowed free campaign. Mnangangwa wasted no time in embarking on a charm offensive inside and outside Zimbabwe.

Independent observers were invited to see for themselves. Apart from a few minor incidents the elections were free, fair and democratic as attested to by most observers. The ZanuPF had correctly read the mood of the electorate and concluded there was every reason to convince potential investors that Zim was open for business within the framework a true democracy.

Chamisa and his bunch made a fair show in the presidential election but lost the general election. Here are the reasons why. Political lightweight Chamisa was no match for seasoned and experienced Zanupf leaders. Tsjangarai would have faired better. Proclaiming himself a landslide victor before the results were announced was tantamount to amateurism. As an outsider one cannot but partly blame his irresponsible statements for the violence which regrettably resulted in the post election violence. The security forces perhaps should have handled the situation better. The urban vs rural constituency divide cannot be the sole explanation for the ZanuPF glorious victory.

South Africa cannot afford an unstable neigbour. Zim and South Africa need one another to speed up economic and social development. Afterall there is a historic political bond between our two erstwhile liberation movements. Youthful Chamisa may be charming but will need more political clout to win an election. He must also remove the veil of being the altar boy of the West. If ZanuPF proves itself, the West will do business with Zimbabwe.

Comrades, we all know that politics is not an exact science. But these are my views, for all they are worth. This is Smangaliso wishing you good night. I hope our ZanuPF comrades can teach us something....except of course the coup . We are a proud and solid democracy


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