Deputy finance minister and Harare East legislator Terence Mukupe told Zanu-PF members at a party meeting in Harare that Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance – arguably president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s most visible challenger – was too young for the task.
“How can we say‚ honestly‚ the soldiers took the country‚ practically snatched it from Mugabe‚ to come and hand it over to Chamisa? This country‚ where it is now and where it is coming from‚ needs a grown-up‚” he said.
With statistics from the voters roll indicating that around 60 percent of registered voters are in the 40 years of age demographic‚ analysts have been predicting that the youth could carry a swing vote against Zanu-PF‚ whose presidential candidate is 75 years old.
Deputy minister Mukupe‚ in the same age bracket as Chamisa‚ declared that a young president will not be tolerated. “I don’t think that I am mature enough to be given the country to run and all the soldiers in this country salute me saying ‘the commander in chief is here’‚” he added.
Vice-president Kembo Mohadi last week denied that Zanu-PF was being led by the army and that it would stay on if the party loses the watershed elections. But it is Mukupe’s statement that has been worrying civic society and the opposition for some time now.
Speaking at a policy dialogue meeting‚ Ibbo Mandaza last week warned that an upset for the army could mean the military could once more take matters into their owns hands like they did in November 2017. “We believe that we need a contingency plan because the possibility of some mad soldiers trying to take the law into their own hands is real‚” he said.
Meanwhile‚ there have been calls for servers of the national registry to be moved away from the country’s army headquarters‚ the Josiah Magama Tongogara barracks [formerly KG6]‚ because of strong fears of voters roll manipulation.
In 2008 the military stepped in to the rescue of Robert Mugabe when he was forced into an election run-off with Morgan Tsvangirai. The two leaders would later form an inclusive government but Tsvangirai was sidelined from most security briefings.
We know full well what will happen… the only question is will an investigation be allowed so that the election illegalities will be fully exposed to show how corrupt ZANUPF continues to be. Even their own words condemn them. The stripes on that vicious leopard have not changed, and we know Mnangagwa has not acknowledged his connection with the 5th Brigade and that awful genocide. It is hoped that someday the Zim government will be controlled by those with enough integrity and gumption to allow the ICC to provide an open, honest, and full investigation of that “moment of madness” and punish all those who perpetuated those atrocities that still plague the memories of so many innocents.
What Minister Mukupe and Hungwe have done is remind us all that the Zanu PF dictatorship is not going to hold free and fair elections. This is not news because there is overwhelming evidence that the regime had no intention of keeping its promise and hold free and fair elections.
“Zanu PF ichatonga! Igo tonga!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule!) said President Mnangagwa addressing his Zanu PF cronies on his return to SA at the successful staging of the military coup in November last year. He was restating the party’s long cherish “No regime change!” mantra.
So what has infuriated those call for the two ministers to be fired is not is not so much that their statements confirmed Zanu PF is rigging the elections but that the confirmation have robbed these naive and gullible individuals the excuse for pretending the elections are free, fair and credible. Whilst they have ignored all the clear evidence of vote rigging they cannot ignore when they are being told so to their faces!
Like it or not, in their perverted and boastfulness, Mukupe and Hungwe are warning the nation to stop burying our heads in the sand and address the problem of vote rigging with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands. It is sad that in our own foolish and macabre way we are shooting the messenger!