HARARE-The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) have proved to only be a thorn in the flesh for ZANU-PF but now poses a real threat to President Robert Mugabe's continued grip on power, the party admitted recently.In its report on national security, ZANU-PF’s department responsible for security said the formation of the MDC-T led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is giving it sleepless nights in its attempts to wrest power from Mugabe who has been at the helm of the party since 1980.
Mugabe has since refused to let go of power arguing he has unfinished business with Zimbabwe’s former colonial master, Britain, over the chaotic land reform programme which witnessed thousand of peasants being displaced and commercial farmers killed.
The department of national security said: “While we may attribute the loss of the plebiscite (2008 polls) to economic sanctions that motivated the electorate to vote with their stomachs, ZANU-PF also contributed to its own predicament by allowing a situation where two candidates fought for the same seat in a constituency. The MDC-T formation continues to threaten the party’s strength as evidenced by their penetration into the rural areas which are ZANU-PF strongholds.”
In the March 28 harmonised elections, the MDC-T made in roads into what used to be believed to be ZANU-PF strongholds, the rural areas, after convincing the electorate there that times had changed and people needed to live a decent life.
And in a major volte-face, ZANU-PF got the shock of it life when results poured in from the rural constituencies.
The situation irked ZANU-PF so much that the party embarked on a retribution exercise stealing livestock, burning houses, assaulting and maiming people and displacing hordes of villagers countrywide.
The department took a swipe at non governmental organisations (NGOs) accusing them of working in cahoots with the MDC-T to dislodge ZANU-PF from power.
It said: “Almost 2 500 NGOs are operating in Zimbabwe and the vast majority of them are championing the cause of the MDC formations.
There is evidence that rural areas are the ones being targeted now so as to reduce ZANU-PF’s support base.”
NGOs have since dismissed the allegations as false and malicious.
Post published in: News