BULAWAYO – The MDC Alliance is calling for all opposition parties in Zimbabwe to bury their differences in order to fight Zanu PF as a single force, noting that the military’s intervention in the ruling party’s internal affairs has obliterated the divisions that had greatly contributed to the governing party’s misfortunes.
Addressing a rally during the executive launch of the MDC Alliance at Macdonald Hall in Bulawayo over the weekend, Welshman Ncube of the Alliance said there was no need for the opposition to give President Emmerson Mnangagwa a chance to resuscitate the economy as he was the architect of what he called the “2008 pre-emptive coup.”
Ncube was referring to the period when the ruling party under former president Robert Mugabe kept Zimbabweans in suspense with a month long wait before they released the election results.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) described the delay as meticulous verification.
Zec, which is packed with loyalists of the ruling party, released figures that showed opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had won the election but without an outright majority and therefore a run-off was ordered.
However, Tsvangirai pulled out of the race citing violence on his supporters which was allegedly perpetrated by the army.
In December 2004, while addressing service chiefs and the new leadership of the war veterans association at the Zanu PF headquarters, Mugabe made a telling “Freudian slip” of the tongue when he said Tsvangirai had garnered 73 percent of the vote.
“Mugabe is gone. For years and years, we used to say Mugabe must go and he is gone finally,” Ncube said.
“But we had to get the help in our fight through those who were close to him who are the ones who were behind a pre-emptive coup in 2008 when Mugabe lost elections.
“So this is not the first time they have done a coup. Their first coup after independence was in 2008 when Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mugabe all systems out.
“So people should not tell us today to give Mnangagwa and his team a chance,” he said.
He said it was time for the opposition and people of Zimbabwe to unite and end the Zanu PF rule come 2018.
This, he said, was because after Operation Restore Legacy which eliminated the Generation 40 (G40) cabal in Zanu PF, the ruling party had emerged somewhat united.
“Zanu PF was going to these coming elections a divided lot with G40 on the other side and Team Lacoste on the other; they were fighting day and night. What has happened now is through (Constantino) Chiwenga they have fired G40 and got united as team Lacoste,” he said.
“So as they are going for elections they are regrouping. We are going to face a united Zanu PF and behind it will be the army. So, we as opposition we have to realise that and be united,” Ncube urged the gathering.
The MDC Alliance spokesperson taunted Zanu PF that they were panicking at the resurgence of the opposition party who they thought had been buried since Mnangagwa’s takeover.
“For those who read newspapers you might have come across such statements indicating that the MDC has destroyed itself by going to America to ask for sanctions,” he said.
“If you hear people in Zanu PF complaining about what we will have done just know that thing is good.”
“We are not going to be told by Zanu PF what should be our strategy. We are not going to be told by Zanu PF who our friends should be. The MDC Alliance programme is decided by MDC Alliance. In politics they say if you see your opponent silent then it means whatever you are doing is worthless. Your opponent should feel the heat.”
Ncube said as the MDC Alliance they were not going to stop telling the world the truth until a free and fair election was held in the country.
He said given proper electoral reforms there was no way Zanu PF can win a free and fair election. – Daily News
