ZAPU dead set on thwarting ZANU PF aspirations

The Zimbabwe  African  People’s Union  (ZAPU) says after consulting widely, it is intent on stopping ZANU PF from gaining the coveted two-thirds majority in Parliament.

ZANU PF is licking its lips after  declaration of the 9 December by-election by President Mnangagwa following the recall of 14 CCC Members of Parliament by Sengezo Tshabangu who controversially claims to be the party’s interim Secretary General. 

CCC leader, Nelson Chamisa, who has disowned and dismissed Tshabangu as a ZANU PF puppet, has said his party will not participate in the “criminal” by election. ZAPU has grabbed the opportunity to fill the void left by the main opposition to try and frustrate the ruling party’s quest for a sweeping majority that would enable it to make changes to the constitution.

In an exclusive with  Community Podium, ZAPU spokesperson Mso Ndlovu  said  the party is hard at work making preparations to field candidates for the by-election as the party expects the membership to fund the campaign. ZAPU opted not to field a presidential candidate for the 23 August election due to the steep presidential nomination fee of USD $20 000. It was however able to field candidates for parliament and councils in selected areas mostly in Matabeleland South where it won a council seat in Ward 17 of  Matobo-Mangwe Constituency.

“Our members have always funded all our party programs of which these elections are no exception hence, as a citizens centred political  party, we have done  consultations with different  stakeholders  in Bulawayo in relation  to  the  recalls  and majority of those consulted urged us to participate and block the Zimbabwe African  National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)  from attaining their coveted two thirds majority in Parliament.”

Ndlovu called on all democratic forces   to rally behind the opposition party which intends to stop ZANU PF from stealing opposition seats that it lost in August.

“We are therefore calling on all democratic forces opposed to these fascist recalls to rally behind our candidates so that we resoundingly defeat those seeking to win the seats via the backdoor because  the recalls were unjust. They have been legitimized by state institutions working in collusion with some political actors. Someone had to stand up and defend the rights of the voters who made their choices on August 23.”

Meanwhile President Mnangagwa Saturday told delegates at his party’s conference in Gweru that the by-elections are an opportunity to get rid of the opposition.

 “These by-elections provide our people another opportunity to democratically kick out the opportunistic, heartless and politically immature puppets of our detractors, who pretend to be opposition political parties,” he said.