Speaking to journalists after the launch of the three parties’ election manifesto in Chikomba, Mashonaland East last week, ZAPU President Dumiso Dabengwa said the parties would contest in the elections despite an uneven political field.
“Boycotting the elections is not an option and we will fight head on. There is no room for quitting and it is better to be in the race and fight from within than to pull out,” said Dabengwa.
He revealed that his party had orchestrated a plot to ensure that MDC- T President Morgan Tsvangirai failed to garner a majority vote in the 2008 polls. Dabengwa said his party supported the Simba Makoni-led Mavambo Kusile Dawn as a calculated ploy to ensure that both Zanu (PF) and MDC- T lost votes in the 2008 polls.
“I supported MKD when we worked together with the MDC. We achieved what we had set ourselves to do and that was to ensure that Mugabe and Tsvangirai did not win the election.”
Dabengwa revealed that his party did this because they were optimistic that they would be part of the government of national unity.
Speaking at the same occasion, President of the MDC-N, Welshman Ncube, said his party wanted equitable distribution of resources for the benefit of the majority.
“This election is not about sending Mugabe off. It is about bringing a totally new leadership with a different DNA,” he said.
Ncube revealed that his party refused to form a pact with the MDC- T and its coalition partners because of varying ‘principles’.
“The three parties here, MDC, ZAPU and UMD share the same values. There is no point in removing a bigger devil (Mugabe) and replacing him with a smaller devil (Tsvangirai),” said Ncube.
He said the coalition, which he dubbed ‘Coalition for Devolution’, is not a fake coalition but represented the dawn of real leadership.
“The coalition for devolution recognises that over-centralisation of power is problematic and the model of government which tells us that everything is done in Harare has failed,” he said.
Ncube called on Zimbabweans to vote for the MDC because electing any other party was voting for the continuation of hunger and abject poverty.
Post published in: News