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IN exactly four weeks, parliamentary by- elections will be held in 21 constituencies which fell vacant following the recall of MDC Renewal legislators who defected from the MDC-T. Both opposition parties have chosen to boycott the polls claiming that the playing field was uneven, paving the way for the ruling Zanu-PF party to consolidate its overwhelming majority in the August House as its candidates will be pitted against little known parties and independents in the June 10 elections.
Ordinarily, the poll appears a straightforward clean sweep for the vanguard party which could even have legislative representation for seats in the MDC stronghold of Bulawayo for the first time in 15 years. But that golden opportunity could be lost if reports of infighting and squabbling among Zanu-PF officials are anything to by.
In the capital, the party has fielded two candidates for the Harare East constituency where Cdes Mavis Gumbo and Terrence Mukupe are both vying for the seat while in Bulawayo there are reports of divisions within the party structures with youths allegedly not participating in campaigns. The High Court last week allowed Mukupe and Gumbo to both contest the Harare East by-election on the ruling party ticket.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu made the ruling after Mukupe had taken the matter to court challenging his disqualification by the nomination court and the recognition of Gumbo as the bona-fide Zanu-PF candidate. He said both Mukupe and Gumbo were proper candidates to represent the ruling party in the Harare East by-election and the “nomination officer (of primary poll) fell into the grave error when she attempted to resolve the party’s own internal controversy by preferring one candidate over the other from the same party”.
“Since both candidates’ papers were in order, the nomination officer had no option but to accept both candidates as duly nominated and leave the party to sort out its own mess and controversy according to its own legal instruments and devices”, Justice Bhunu ruled.
“What emerges quite clear is that the nomination officer was confronted by a situation where Zanu-PF was mired in controversy and divided over which one of the two members should represent it at the forthcoming by-elections for the Harare East constituency.”
The judge said it was clear and common cause that Mukupe’s papers were in order. “As I have already stated, it is common cause that the appellant’s papers were in order. They were properly lodged by the authorised party officials vouching that he was the official candidate for the party. His candidature under the banner of his political party, Zanu-PF, was amply confirmed by a high-ranking official of the party, the secretary for commissariat (Saviour Kasukuwere).”
In Bulawayo, we reported yesterday that some of the candidates representing Zanu-PF expressed concern during a meeting with Politburo members Professor Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere that divisions were threatening their campaigns. This is regrettable and unfortunate as Zanu-PF could be shooting itself in the foot and spurning a real opportunity to capitalise on the misfortunes of the opposition to gain a foothold in areas such as Bulawayo and Harare.
The case of Gumbo and Mukupe is really mind boggling as they both appear dead set to derail the party’s chances of posting a landslide victory in the constituency formally held by MDC Renewal’s Tendai Biti. Following the party’s 6th elective Congress in December, President Robert Mugabe enjoined the Zanu-PF rank and file to close ranks and work towards getting the country and economy working again.
He implored cadres to put the sad chapter of former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her cabal who were expelled from the party for plotting to oust him, behind them and focus on fostering unity and consolidating the gains made by the party in the 2013 harmonised elections.
We urge the Zanu-PF members to heed the President’s wise counsel and work together to win the forthcoming by-elections. We are aware that some cadres view the polls as an opportunity to grab parliamentary seats but we call on them to discard such predatory tendencies and rally behind the party’s chosen candidates.
In the case of Bulawayo, we implore the youths to work with other organs of the party to ensure that it wrests control of all seats available. The party should also resolve the Harare East wrangle amicably so that one candidate represents it on June 10.
Online Reporter