By Takudzwa Changadeya
OPPOSITION party- People Unity’s Party (PUP) leader Herbert Chamuka has scoffed at all opposition parties that are hoping to win the forthcoming elections, saying the ruling party has got its formidable rigging tactics to win elections.
Chanuka said it’s a waste of time to go to the polls because the ruling party’s tactics to rig elections are already underway.
In an interview with BustopTV, Chamuka said opposition political parties are fooling themselves by preparing to take over this country and thinking they can be a panacea to the prevailing political menace in the country because power cannot be seized from Zanu-PF so easily.
” Just like other previous elections, Zanu-PF is well known for being a guru of rigging elections and everyone knows that.
“So, opposition parties, particularly CCC, should stop giving people fake hope that they will reign over this country. That’s day dreaming, as long as Zanu-PF is ruling, it will always find a way to capture all electoral stakeholders to act in their favour,” he said.
He added that lingering hopes on an opposition which is failing to find ways to free Job Sikhala who has been under remand prison since last year is a waste of time.
“Failure to find ways of taking Sikhala from Jail is a clear indication that CCC is failing. So, you can’t expect the same party to seize a leadership chair from Zanu-PF whilst they are failing to even rescue their member who is rotting in jail,” he said.
The opposition leader also ridiculed the ruling party saying it is power hungry and corrupt.
“There is so much corruption in Zanu-PF, they have been looting since independence and they still want to loot more. They are never tired of looting.
“Now they are giving chiefs top of the range cars in all provinces, in a country without enough hospital ambulances, it shows that they just want to make sure they hold the grip tightly till they win elections and continue looting,” he said.
Chamuka also fingered Zanu-PF in the hiking of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) nomination fees, saying it’s a rigging strategy aimed at disadvantageing those who can’t afford it.
“It’s very clear that ZEC is being told what to do with the ruling party. Nomination fees were increased to US 20 000 , just to make sure they shut down doors for those who can’t afford it.
“ZEC and the government defended the fees hike arguing they filter away political candidates that are not serious,” he said.
Under the gazetted SI 144 of 2022, one needs to fork out USD$20 000 to contest for presidency, USD$1 000 to run for Member of Parliament (MP) and USD$200 for a council seat or equivalent in local currency.
The hikes drew widespread condemnation from politicians and legal practitioners, saying they dissuade potential contestants from participating in elections.
Three weeks ago, Mnangagwa gazetted the final delimitation report, which demarcated constituency and ward boundaries in the 2023 harmonised elections expected to be conducted later this year.
Recently, ZEC launched a 10-day registration blitz a few days ago to enable those intending to register as voters to obtain critical documents like birth certificates and national identity cards.
