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Fungi Kwaramba-Political Editor
AMID latest revelations by the respected pan-African research network, Afrobarometer, that more than 50 percent of the population has faith in the leadership of President Mnangagwa, political and economic analysts have said the ruling party and its leader are poised for a landslide victory in next year’s harmonised elections.
According to Afrobarometer, the majority of the population still trust President Mnangagwa to lead the nation, barely a year before elections.
Revealing findings of the survey during a Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) meeting in Bulawayo on Tuesday, the survey principal, Mr Stephen Ndoma, said 51 percent of Zimbabweans trust President Mnangagwa to lead the nation.
He said he used a sample size of 1 200 people and his study had an error rate of +/-3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Analysts said the results are indicative of confidence in President Mnangagwa under whose stewardship the country has witnessed unprecedented infrastructural development projects such as the construction of roads and dams, while food security has also been attained barring climate change and accompanying droughts.
Apart from that, the President has delivered on most of the promises he made to the electorate that are contained in the ruling party’s 2018 Manifesto, which among other things promised universal access to health, water, and also the construction of houses.
So far, out of the 237 promises made in the 2018 election manifesto, 188 of these have been completely achieved or are in progress and this translates to an above 79 percent success rate.
Respected economist Mr Eddie Cross said the ruling party has put in place all the necessary fundamentals and has been walking the talk on reforms, in the process earning plaudits from Bretton Woods institutions that have predicted positive economic growth in the coming years.
This is anchored, he said, on President Mnangagwa’s pragmatic policies that have seen the key sectors of mining, tourism, and agriculture registering growth despite the negative effects of the illegal economic sanctions, climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Afrobarometer is very reliable, it is also apolitical hence its findings are reflective. The only problem that the Government has to deal with is the parallel market and that can be solved very quickly,” said Mr Cross.
Over the years, President Mnangagwa has implemented people-centred developmental projects that have transformed both rural and urban areas, impacting positively on all ages through his philosophy of “development that leaves no one and no place behind”.
Significantly, milestones have been witnessed through robust trunk road rehabilitation, with major highlights being the Harare-Chirundu, Bulawayo-Mutare, Harare-Beitbridge highways, while local authorities have received funding from central Government to develop their roads and also construct clinics and schools.
The amarula plant in Mwenezi, Tomato factory in Mutoko, and masawu factory in Mount Darwin areas are set to be vibrant industries that will economically empower societies and create vibrant employment opportunities.
Academic and researcher Mr Alex Munyonga said because of these people tailored policies, the President can only become more popular.
“The people-centred developmental philosophy has seen praxis, innovation, and an industrialisation drive being actioned in different corners of the economy. It is true that the country is currently suffering from unprecedented price increases and rising inflation.
“However, noble thinking individuals realise that socio-economic developments registered so far overshadow the current gloomy economic situation. Such rekindle trust in President Mnangagwa.
“There is high optimism that this wave of economic hardships will come to pass soon. Noble minds also realise that price increases are a political weapon, they are actually designed to trigger indignation in the electorate ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections,” said Mr Munyonga.
The Second Republic, under President Mnangagwa, has also demonstrated that the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is not mere rhetoric but is being implemented step by step towards Vision 2030, for Zimbabwe to become an upper-middle-class economy.
“The developmental ship of the Second Republic is cruising towards a harbour of success and in the process still court the hearts of the electorate,” said Mr Munyonga.
On his part, political analyst Mr Collin Mharadzano said President Mnangagwa, with his “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra, has opened the country to investment and economic growth.
“The advent of the Second Republic ably led by President Mnangagwa opened avenues for economic empowerment for the people hitherto unheard of. So, the predictably sound and glowing endorsement by at least 51 percent of the populace of President Mnangagwa is spot on. “Afrobarometer is unveiling the obvious which is indeed scientific. Here is a leader for the people and by people. His listening posture and attentiveness to the diversity of quagmires bedevilling the people have earned him plaudits locally and beyond.
“It can only point to a landslide victory come the watershed 2023 harmonised elections. A bird’s eye view of the economic landscape points to the attainment of an upper-middle-income economy by the year 2030.
“Indeed, the populace has every reason to embrace such top-notch and astute leadership which has instilled hope into the masses”.
In June last year, in yet another survey, Afrobarometer said if elections were to be held in the country at any given time, Zanu PF would emerge victorious.
According to its website, Afrobarometer, which started in 12 African countries in 1999 and has now spread to 34 countries, its surveys are used to give the public a voice in policy-making by providing high-quality public opinion data for policymakers and policy advocates among others.
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