EDITORIAL COMMENT:  Zanu-PF, unity must be watchword This picture collage shows President Mugabe addressing thousands of zanu-pf supporters during a Youth Interface Rally at Somhlolo Stadium, Matabeleland North Province, last Friday.
This picture collage shows President Mugabe addressing thousands of zanu-pf supporters during a Youth Interface Rally at Somhlolo Stadium, Matabeleland North Province, last Friday.

This picture collage shows President Mugabe addressing thousands of zanu-pf supporters during a Youth Interface Rally at Somhlolo Stadium, Matabeleland North Province, last Friday.

IF the governing Zanu-PF introspects and wants to be truthful with itself, it would note that since the introduction of the multi-party political system in Zimbabwe, with the threats posed by opposition parties to dislodge it from power, the cake has never been so well cut out for it, as it is now.

A few months before the 2018 harmonised elections, there is a growing chorus that the ruling party will romp to victory and whitewash the opposition.

Recently, Afrobarometer an authoritative pan-African, non-partisan research network that does public attitude surveys on democracy and governance published Round 7 Survey Results, from fieldwork conducted between January 28 and February 10, 2017.

The survey showed that the majority of Zimbabweans approve of the way President Mugabe has discharged his duties over the past 12 months.

According to the report, “President Mugabe continues to get positive ratings from Zimbabweans with above half (56 percent) saying that they approve of the way he has performed his job over the past 12 months.”

Before the ink is dry, there is another bombshell for the opposition, and the bearer of the bad news is none other than the Daily News — an opposition mouthpiece. In yesterday’s front page story, the paper wrote: “Opposition faces tough 2018 polls.”

The contents are good enough to silence the ruckus and self-denial in opposition circles. The article exposes that the so-called opposition “big tent”, is nothing, but a façade — for you cannot be an opposition without followers.

It also argues that it is a pipe dream to go into opposition politics with the sole aim of forming the so-called grand coalition, where every party leader under the tent would want to call the shots for standing against the grandmaster of politics, President Mugabe.

According to the article, the opposition, be it under Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC-T or Joice Mujuru of National People’s Party should realise that the best it can ever achieve is being “second best”, which basically means that they won’t garner enough votes to form the next government. It would also be folly for the opposition to ignore the voices and faces behind the latest pronouncements on 2018.

When political analysts like Eldred Masunungure, who is also an associate professor with the University of Zimbabwe, commit themselves to making the damning remarks about the shambolic state of opposition politics, and categorically state that 2018 is a done deal for Zanu-PF, months before the elections are held, you know that they are not speaking like prophets of doom.

They mean what they say, and say what they mean. They have professional careers to protect, thus they would not speak recklessly. If their remarks had been published by the public media, sceptics would have ignored them. Says Masunungure: “Coalition or no coalition, the opposition will emerge second best. I have no illusions of who will emerge victorious. Maybe you can debate about 2023, not 2018. Zanu-PF has already won. The opposition with a big tent coalition, the best it can achieve is second best . . . Zanu-PF has a super majority and it can do whatever it wants because of the sheer number it has in Parliament . . .”

Such an emphatic statement is supported by events on the ground. Which opposition party, MDC-T included can amass the crowds that have been attending Zanu-PF rallies? Even the opposition sympathisers have seen that province-by-province, the ruling party has the numbers, and a resonating message.

We hope that the “second best” slot will not lead to the usual ruckus you get from the opposition. In May 2015, Alex Magaisa (Morgan Tsvangirai’s adviser during the inclusive Government) advised opposition parties and civil society that “(Afrobarometer) survey outcomes require a sober approach because the messages they communicate can help political and social actors — in opposition and civil society — to have a better understanding of the terrain in which they are operating.”

While it has become evident that Zanu-PF will clinch the number one slot, it is time that we call to order some party cadres who have been acting as though the revolutionary party is a personal entity.

They have resorted to the dangerous game of playing factional or slate politics, to the party’s detriment. It is this disunity displayed by some that the opposition will try to exploit so that votes are split.

In addition, never in the history of elections in Zimbabwe does the ruling party have a success story that beats the 2017 bumper harvest.

This is a success story that resonates through other socio-economic sectors.

The economy would not show signs of growth when scarce financial resources are used to import food. Thus there should not be dissonance in selling the Command Agriculture success story. Rather, it should be how they package it for campaign purposes. All this is because of the successful land reform programme.

Zanu-PF can therefore ill afford squandering time bickering. Unity must be from top to bottom, and it must be seen, in as much as we see the multitudes that attend its rallies.

This is why it is crucial to rein in those that believe that they are bigger than the people who cast the votes.

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