Buoyed by an unexpected surge in grassroots support at the last parliamentary by-election held in Chiredzi South last year, where his United People’s Party finished ahead of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC, leaving it a few votes shy of an overall majority, Shumba says he is confident of sweeping the decks in the forthcoming harmonised elections.
There had been intense speculation that all opposition political parties would sign a deal with the main MDC, to back one candidate to stand against Mugabe, thereby avoiding splitting the vote. – Chief reporter