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Zimpapers Elections Desk
ZANU PF is an organised party that cannot be compared to fly-by-night political parties that do not even have structures. As a result, the ruling party’s win in the recently held harmonised elections was a foregone conclusion. Our Senior Reporter Joseph Madzimure (JM) caught up with former Zanu PF Harare provincial political commissar and former Harare South Member of Parliament Cde Shadreck Mashayamombe (SM) who shared his views on the election outcome. Below are excerpts.
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JM: Can you give us an insight into the just-ended harmonised elections, where Zanu PF managed to win the elections with President Mnangagwa emerging victorious?
SM: In my view, this is the best election that has been carried out in Zimbabwe and we have President Mnangagwa to thank for opening up the democratic space and ensuring that there is peace and tranquillity in our country. The elections were conducted in a peaceful, free, fair and transparent manner. The best team won and there is no need to spoil the soup and put a dent on Zanu PF’s victory, which anyone with a brain should have foreseen from a mile away.
JM: What do you think contributed to Zanu PF’s victory?
SM: Zanu PF is a well-organised machine. They have structures from the village level to the national level, and they have structures that are intact, meaning campaigning messages can be relayed on time. You cannot compare with the opposition political parties who seek advice from their funders.
I would like to thank the President and the party leadership for campaigning vigorously for the revolutionary party. We owe the win to the leadership of the party, they worked in unison from the beginning up to the end.
The people have spoken, and once again they have chosen Zanu PF. Yes, as inconceivable as it is to our detractors, the people have and will always choose Zanu PF. It is because our people understand the ethos of the colossal party, as a matter of fact, Zanu PF has and will always have an unbreakable bond with the electorate because it is the people’s party.
The people’s will indeed has prevailed, but it is apparent that whatever outcome or whatever we do, as long as Zanu PF still lives and thrives as the governing party in this country, we can never appease our detractors, who are bent on destroying the ruling party and our great nation. We also want to thank the people of Zimbabwe for the trust bestowed on the party – Zanu PF.
JM: While Zanu PF and its Presidential candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa have emerged victorious, the outcome of the elections did not go down well with CCC leader Mr Nelson Chamisa and his partners. What’s your view?
SM: In any election, there is always a winner and a loser. From my experience as a politician, in Zimbabwe no opposition leader accepts defeat. These opposition leaders are funded by agents of regime change, who want to remove revolutionary parties from power so that they endorse puppet leaders who protect their interests. Zimbabwe is endowed with rich mineral resources, which is an envy of many, including former colonisers. There are some countries such as the United States of America that have seemingly recruited some of our own people such as Mr Chamisa to criticise the Government. He is on a mission to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle by working with erstwhile former colonisers.
What is evident is that the words that came from Mr Chamisa’s lips were not his but he was simply acting as a mouthpiece of our detractors. We have heard such similar utterances and rantings before, but these will not deny us the opportunity to revel in our historic victory as against all odds, the colossal party, Zanu PF, has once again emerged victorious.
JM: What has to be done to make the opposition accept that elections can produce various outcomes, win or defeat?
SM: It’s high time Africans ditch the rigid notion that seeks to only accept the Western and American model of democracy as the ideal and only acceptable form of democracy. After all, we fought for our democracy and we are our own liberators.
Mr Chamisa should remember that one of the most widely acceptable definitions of democracy is that it is a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or freely through elections.
JM: Let me take you back to Harare province. The province managed to win four constituencies from one in the previous election. Do you think that was the best result?
SM: Focusing on Harare, we want to thank the people of Harare for voting in their numbers for the party although more needs to be done. I want to thank the provincial executive, they have done their part to win back the hearts of the people to vote for Zanu PF. Remember in the 2018 elections the party won Harare South constituency only, but they have done their homework and managed to reclaim four seats, this is commendable. This is not our best, though we won four constituencies which is very healthy for the party.
JM: What do you think needs to be done to reclaim more seats in Harare and other urban centres going forward?
SM: There is a need for unity of purpose among party members. As provinces there is now a need to focus on uniting the people in urban areas to become a formidable force come 2028.
There is a need to lure more people to join the party and lure those who are sitting on the fence to participate in party programmes. The party now needs to fish from the opposition’s pond and become a dominant party in Harare. Elections are about numbers, hence we need to lure more people, we need to conduct a vigorous campaign to unsettle the opposition in Harare and Bulawayo.
All party members must play their part in mobilising people from branch to provincial structures.
All those occupying positions should lure at least four members per week for the party, this will guarantee a win come 2028. What is needed is to put together our efforts as comrades and work as a united front.
In Harare, there is now a need to put maximum effort on potential constituencies; to ensure we retain them in the coming elections. There is also a need for result-based management from DCC structures to assess their contribution to the party.
JM: What are some of the potential constituencies in Harare that you think the party can reclaim?
SM: We have constituencies such as Epworth North, Harare North, Mt Pleasant, Churu, Harare East, Southerton. The party has the potential to win these seats come 2028. I know it’s very possible.
Online Reporter