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Today Zanu-PF takes a retreat to Chinhoyi for its 14th Annual National People’s Conference. The party has just concluded what turned out to be debilitating elections for its provincial chairpersons. These came hot on the heels of harmonised elections on July 31 which the party won with an overwhelming majority. Thus far, the narrative is simple and straightforward. Now comes the challenge.
Zanu-PF won the elections on the basis of its policies. We believe people voted the way they did because they had faith in the party’s capacity to improve their livelihoods, especially those in rural areas who face a myriad challenges such as food, seed and fertiliser shortages.
People in urban areas may not have voted overwhelmingly for the ruling party, but once the victory is sealed they also have a legitimate expectation that Zanu-PF will address their challenges among them water shortages, power outages, refuse collection, job opportunities and an efficient transport system.
By our reckoning, it is exactly four months and 12 days since Zanu-PF was officially declared the winner of the July 31 2013 harmonised elections notwithstanding the self-serving allegations of electoral malpractices from the losing parties. That victory ended the inclusive Government which all agreed had become dysfunctional. Zanu-PF itself had complained on several occasions that it was hamstrung in its policy implementation by the bickering in the inclusive Government. Thankfully that encumbrance is over but there has so far been no evidence of a party in a hurry to deliver on its electoral promises.
We are under no illusions whatsoever about the momentous tasks ahead and the resources required to accomplish them. Unfortunately Zanu-PF has been inward looking, focusing on resolving internal issues, processes which have never been explained to many Zimbabweans who are ruled by, but don’t belong, to Zanu-PF.
The result is that the losing political parties are making opportunistic attacks on Zanu-PF and its government who fought valiantly to win elections but who now stand accused of not having a plan on how to improve the lot of Zimbabweans. The parties have made a pastime of counting the number of days which have passed since the elections and Zanu-PF has not countered this with concrete implementation of its blue print, Zim Asset. What is evident is that it postponed the budget announcement to next week with an explanation.
In the meantime there is concern about the food security situation, load-shedding, liquidity, and the water situation. We hope the proposed demolition of illegal housing structures is being reconsidered along with the threats against foreigners doing business in sectors reserved for indigenous Zimbabweans.
But that’s as far as we have seen about Zanu-PF trying to exercise its electoral mandate.
People are worried also about the levels of corruption across sectors of the economy. People are worried about inefficiency in key parastatals. When are we going to see Zim Asset in operation? There are critical issues in reviving our education system, hospitals and road infrastructure.
Only last week President Mugabe warned that failure was not an option in the battle for economic recovery, telling the gathering, particularly Zanu-PF MPs, at the burial of national hero Brigadier Misheck Tanyanyiwa that: “The people voted for you so that you could fight for them. Not that you should be more important than them. Fight for their rights, fight sanctions . . . Once beaten twice shy.
Zanu-PF cannot afford at all to sit back and relax now that the July 31 harmonised elections have ushered Zanu-PF back into the driving seat. The party’s pledges to the electorate must be fulfilled and now is the time.”
We hope that this week’s conference in Chinhoyi will be a time for serious introspection and strategising about the way forward. Zanu-PF cannot take people for granted and not expect to pay a heavy price. The victory against sellout politics was literally sealed in the harmonised elections. That means future elections may only be won through a performance scorecard and Zanu-PF will be the first candidate to take the test.
Online Reporter