We asked some voters what they think. Daisy Hwara (39) from Unit K in Seke Chitungwiza said Zimbabwe was better off with the current set-up because “elections are an expensive affair yet the country has not yet recovered from the economic downturn of the last decade.”
“They should not be held at all. Let us just maintain this current set up and use the money to revitalise our local industries, especially those in Matabeleland.”
Ashley Bvute, (28) a law student from Warren Park in Harare concurred with Hwara, saying there was no point holding an election whose result was already pre- determined. “They should never be held because they are a costly charade with a pre-determined outcome in favour of Zanu (PF). History indicates they have always lost but they have always managed to cling to power so why should the country waste resources on a process whose outcome we already know?”
Dylan Kunyenda, a vendor at Chikwanha vegetable market in Chitungwiza, said elections should only be held when there is a guarantee that the people will be safe from political violence.
“The police are saying that there is no violence – but it is still rife in rural communities. Our families are being intimidated in Mutoko, Mudzi district by Zanu (PF) supporters. Their plight is worsened by the fact that perpetrators of the 2008 violence are still within the same communities, people are not able to vote freely.”
He said instead of the continued bickering about election dates, the principles in the GNU should rectify the way the security sector operates so that “communities have confidence in the police and the army before the country holds credible polls.”
Arthur Mangoi, (19) a school leaver ,said elections should be held as soon as possible because youths were tired of the current “GNU blame game” where no-one is taking responsibility for failure.
“The parties in the GNU are taking advantage of citizens and blaming each other for the current state of affairs. No-one is accountable because all the parties keep on shifting the blame to the others. Let us have elections as soon as possible and have an end to the GNU, it is not steering the country forward,” he said.
He said once elections were held and there was one political party in government, “the probability for the revival of the economy is possible” because the government would be in a position to strategise and implement policies knowing that they were accountable to the people.
Bianca Gore, a cross-border trader from Mbare National in Harare said elections meant bloodshed and hunger, but because “they are a prerequisite for any country purporting to be democratic”, the earlier they are done the better.
“There is no way Zanu (PF) will leave power because they have tasted wealth acquired through manipulation of the diamond fields. It is wishful thinking to assume that they will leave office. Likewise, the MDCs have tasted power and you can see how some of the politicians have become pompous – just like their Zanu (PF ) counterparts. Elections should be done in September after giving everyone the chance to register as voters, so that we boot them out of their comfort zones. As it is, the majority of us are not registered voters,” she said.
Shalom Dzitutiwe, a teacher from Mumhurwi in Shamva said elections should be held in June because “of the uncertainty within our communities in terms of politically motivated violence.”
“We are being threatened by leaders of the District Coordinating Committees to vote wisely. They are saying zivai pekuvhotera meaning know who to vote for, so we would rather go to the polls as soon as possible so that we revert back to our normal lives.”
Post published in: News