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Morgan Tsvangirai

Continuous threats of electoral violence by MDC-T officials should their leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai lose the elections next year is turning out to be a form of rigging being perpetuated by the opposition party.It is clear that the threats are calculated to instil fear in the electorate and to swing the vote in favour of the foreign-funded party. The threats, which are in very bad taste, are not surprising as they come at a time when all points to a massive defeat in the harmonised elections of, not only the MDC-T, but all political parties challenging Zanu-PF.

Zanu-PF is a people’s party, and that is demonstrated by the programmes that it has carried out over the years to enhance the electorate’s standard of living. While Zanu-PF is busy on the ground, opposition parties are haggling over issues that do not bring bread and butter to the people.

Many voters have been asking what benefits the proposed coalition the opposition parties are fighting over will bring. Suffice to say the so-called coalition is already dead in the water because of the fighting over leadership.

A look at issues that the opposition parties are pre-occupied with reveals that a majority of voters would not lose sleep over such matters. This is why the voters have come to the conclusion that opposition parties are totally out of sync with the people and the reality.

On the other hand, Zanu-PF has been implementing programmes like Command Agriculture, whose results have benefited the people immensely. In fact, most of the projects envisaged under Zim-Asset, the ruling party’s economic blueprint, are already at various stages of implementation.

Lately, the ground breaking ceremony of the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway and the commissioning of the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam clearly indicate Zanu-PF’s long-term vision and focus on national development.

Given the background under which the elections will take place next year, it is clear the MDC-T, whether it contests as part of a coalition or not, is set for a morale sapping defeat.

The fear of facing this harsh reality is behind the continued threats to the electorate by the MDC-T. This is why Mr Tsvangirai views the harmonised elections next year as a matter of life and death.

Addressing workers in Dzivarasekwa on Workers Day, Mr Tsvangirai said he would rather die if he lost the elections. He said this after making it clear he would resort to violence if he loses.

Mr Tsvangirai also preached the same gospel of violence while addressing members of the so-called National Electoral Reform Agenda in Chinhoyi last month.

Then, just this weekend, the MDC-T’s national youth secretary-general Mr Lovemore Chinoputsa made similar threats on the electorate while addressing a party meeting in Chiredzi. The opposition party knows Zimbabweans as peace loving, and that they do not entertain violence in whatever form.

Mr Tsvangirai and his ilk think that by constantly threatening violence, the voters will have no choice, but to avoid violence visiting them by voting for the MDC-T. We are glad that the voters have since seen through the MDC-T’s intentions and have made a clear statement that their vote will be on Zanu-PF.

This is demonstrated by the huge crowds that Zanu-PF has been drawing at its meetings in provinces, with the latest being President Mugabe’s meeting with the youths in Marondera, Mashonaland East, last week. Influential think-tank Afrobarometer recently released research results which showed President Mugabe winning by a wide margin.

Even former MDC-T director-general and academic Mr Toendepi Shonhe did his own paper which showed his former boss, Mr Tsvangirai, would lose dismally to President Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai has lost several elections in the past, tried the trick of violence to gain power after the heavy defeats, but failed. It is time Mr Tsvangirai and his lap dogs learnt the clear lessons that violence does not pay.