Chronicle Editor
Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has sent an 11-member team led by Zanu-PF secretary for finance Cde Patrick Chinamasa to observe the South African national elections to be held next Wednesday.
In a statement yesterday, party secretary for information and publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, said the team includes former Senate President Cde Edna Madzongwe, Zanu-PF deputy secretary for youth affairs Cde Lewis Matutu, secretary for business liaison Cde Sithembiso Nyoni.
Other members of the delegation are Cdes Amon Murwira, Mike Madiro, Monica Mavhunga, Fortune Chasi, Mail Nkomo and Caroline Tsitsi Mugabe. “The delegation leaves for South Africa tomorrow (today),” said Cde Moyo.
The ruling ANC has won the majority vote since the country attained independence in 1994 under the late Nelson Mandela who became the country’s first black President.
A record 48 political parties will be contesting in this year’s polls. The most prominent challengers to the ANC are the Democratic Alliance (DA) led by Mr Mmusi Maimane and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) fronted by Mr Julius Malema, a former ruling party youth leader.
According to poll surveys conducted in the country, the ANC is tipped to win the majority of the 400 seats being contested in the National Assembly.
The ANC concludes its campaign tomorrow when it holds its “Siyanqoba Rally” at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.
The party invited sister parties from the region to attend the rally including the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Basotho National Party (BNP) and All Basotho Convention (ABC) both from Lesotho, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from Tanzania, SWAPO from Namibia and the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO).
Zimbabwe and South Africa share cordial relations on both levels of state and party with Zanu-PF and the ANC being liberation movements that brought independence to the two countries.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, after assuming the country’s Presidency last year, has been a strident campaigner against sanctions on Zimbabwe.
In January, he took the campaign to the 49th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where he publicly called for the lifting of the embargo.
Last year, he also called on the European Union (EU) to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe during the 7th South Africa-European Union Summit in Brussels, Belgium, where they discussed a number of issues around trade, climate change, women’s rights among other global issues.
The EU and the United States of America maintain sanctions on Zimbabwe, with the EU having progressively loosened the measures.
The US remains adamant, tying the punishment of Zimbabwe and Zanu-PF to give an advantage to the opposition MDC-Alliance.
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