Provincial Zanu (PF) officials in Masvingo told Zimbabwe’s state television station on June 11 they had stepped up their campaign against “troublesome spots where MDC structures had taken root”.
“We are setting up units of war veterans to go to those areas to fan out the MDC, to campaign for President Mugabe, to confront and talk to some company managers who are openly supporting these MDC structures,” said retired Major Alex Mudavanhu, Zanu (PF) chairperson for Masvingo told ZTV.
“We are going to tell people that Zanu (PF) is not going to lose this election,” he said.
On March 29 the MDC stunned its opponents by winning all three seat in Bikita, four of the five seats in Gutu and three of the four seats in Zaka – all traditional Zanu (PF) rural strongholds – and took 14 of the 26 for the whole of the province.
Almost simultaneously South Africa’s quietly diplomatic President Thabo Mbeki was voicing some serious concern in parliament in Cape Town about the violence and disruptions ahead of the run-off Presidential poll in Zimbabwe.
At the moment we are doing whatever we can to ensure that we do not experience major problems in the presidential second round elections set for June 27, he told MPs.
Swinging his Southern African Development Community (SADC) sword, Mbeki said that its observer mission was to be strengthened, but declined to furnish any further details.
We are at one with SADC and most of the international community that the incidents of violence and reported disruption of electoral activities of some of the parties are a cause for serious concern and should be addressed with all urgency, Mbeki added.
Post published in: News