adminZanu-PF is virtually unstoppable when every one of its cadres has their shoulder on the wheel, elections held since the attainment of Uhuru on April 18, 1980 testify. History, however, also has classic cases of the consequences that befell the party when it became complacent and took eyes off the ball.
Party President and First Secretary Cde Robert Mugabe needed a presidential election run-off to stave off the challenge of Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T after some malcontents in Zanu-PF pursued their selfish interests, ahead of those of the party, during the 2008 harmonised elections.
The “Bhora Musango’’ mantra cost Zanu-PF dearly.
For four, very long political years, the revolutionary party had to share a bed with both MDC-T and MDC in an inclusive Government that was doomed to fail as it ultimately did.
The three-headed creature, as President Mugabe described it at the launch of his party’s campaign and manifesto in Harare last week, saw Zanu-PF being stifled from fully pursuing its people-oriented programmes.
Farmers sang the blues as Government support suddenly became erratic while civil servants briefly, and mistakenly, celebrated after a newly sworn in prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai pledged to unlock the floodgates of US dollars straight into their pockets.
One of Mr Tsvangirai’s first tasks as Prime Minister was to promise civil servants’ pies in the sky, one would argue. “I know where the money is and I will give it to you,” the visibly excited MDC-T leader told a gathering at Glamis Arena in Harare a few hours after being sworn in by the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe.
The civil servants duly waited but minutes became hours, hours became days, days became months, months became years with nothing coming their way.
And as the country heads for the July 31 elections the civil service, and Zimbabweans at large, have learnt not to take Mr Tsvangirai seriously. History has a tendency of harshly judging people who promise much and fail to deliver like Mr Tsvangirai.
Let’s go back to Zanu-PF, lest we get waylaid. After the 2008 stinker the party needed to react, had to react. And react it did. At the Annual National People’s Conference in Gweru last year Zanu-PF admitted that it scored a classic own goal during the 2008 elections. The party conceded too that the imposition of candidates had left the electorate disillusioned and pledged not to repeat the same mistake.
President Mugabe also spoke strongly against factionalism and at the end of it all challenged party cadres to go and “correct the 2008 mistakes.” Ahead of this month’s harmonised elections Zanu-PF successfully held primary elections to choose a Team Zanu-PF whose mandate is to right the wrongs of 2008.
There were outcries emanating from a handful of constituencies but as the party’s national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo recently noted the primaries were a success. The fact that Zanu-PF is still looking into the concerns being raised by some losing candidates shows that the party has learnt its lessons.
The same conclusion can also be arrived at by analysing the manner in which the party has moved to heal the fissures that were created by the bruising primaries.
Most cadres who had filed papers as independents have withdrawn their candidature and vowed to put the interests of the party first. It appears Zanu-PF, going into this month’s harmonised elections, has got its groove back and is ready to move.
With the primary elections out of the way the party needed to come out and court the electorate once again.
Once again the revolutionary party had to find a way of telling the story of how it brought independence, raised the country’s literacy rate by heavily investing in education and pursued the emancipation of the ordinary man with vigour.
At a packed and colourful Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, Harare last Friday the revolutionary party launched The People’s Manifesto 2013 with the theme Taking Back the Economy: Indigenise, Empower, Develop & Create Employment.
The catch phrase Bhora Mugedhi/Ibhola Egedini is Team Zanu-PF’s war cry.
In his foreword President Mugabe describes The People’s Manifesto as a solemn call for “every Zimbabwean to patriotically cherish and jealously guard the gains of our heroic liberation struggle.”
“The People’s Manifesto of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) for the 2013 harmonised elections comes against the background of the enduring and unforgettable fact that it is Zanu-PF which liberated Zimbabwe after prosecuting a heroic armed struggle,” he says.
“It was the people’s resort to the bullet that won Zimbabweans the right to the ballot that everyone enjoys today as a legacy of our liberation struggle.
“That legacy permanently connects past, present and future generations of this nation with one another. It is a legacy that we all own as Zimbabweans.
“The essence of Zanu-PF’s ideology is to economically empower the indigenous people of Zimbabwe by enabling them to fully own their country’s God given natural resources and the means of production to unlock and create value from those resources.
“Through our deliberate socio-economic policies and achievements since our heroic independence, we have laid a firm foundation for the attainment of this strategic goal.” Amid a pledge for its indigenisation and empowerment drive to become more transparent, accountable and tangible Team Zanu-PF pledges to further improve the lives of Zimbabweans.
Through The People’s Manifesto Zanu-PF makes the indigenisation and empowerment drive make both sense and cents to the ordinary man.
The party eloquently presents plans to step up the through a robust cocktail of measures aimed at unlocking nearly US$2 trillion in the country’s economy as well as improving the life of every Zimbabwean.
It also pledges to create millions of “dignified” jobs as well as continue its massive investment in education, agriculture and housing. Crucially, Zanu-PF also flags out threats that are out to ensure that the party, for all its good intentions and eloquence in courting the electorate, does not put the ball into the back of net.
Good build up play spiced with shimmies, leg overs and out of this world dribbles count for very little if a team fails to score. President Mugabe and other FC Barcelona fans would appreciate this fact after a season of watching their favourite team dominate possession but fail to recapture the UEFA Champions League.
By identifying its threats Zanu-PF takes away the element of complacency from their game.
“The threats to the goals of the people include but are not limited to poverty, corruption, the illegal and evil economic sanctions and the illegal regime change agenda sought by the founders and funders of the reactionary political parties that do not have any programme of their own and which are essentially anti-people and pro-crisis not least because they have defined themselves as enemies of Zimbabwe’s heroic liberation struggle,” Zanu-PF says in its manifesto.notes the party.
It’s game on!
Online Reporter