Scramble for Matabeleland vote begins

As Zimbabwe readies for elections that President Robert Mugabe has intimated he wants held before March, Matabeleland province has emerged as a hotbed of intense political contestation among the country's four main political parties.

Mugabe's Zanu-PF, the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube and Dumiso Dabengwa's Zapu, are all eyeing the Matabeleland votes as the host of troubles pressing the region provide fodder for politicking. These include persistent drought, the massive relocation of companies from Bulawayo to Harare, the unresolved Gukurahundi killings of the 1980s and bitterness over Zanu-PF's lack of remorse.

Except for Ncube's MDC-N, last year all the political parties held their conferences in Bulawayo, the heartland of the Matabeleland province, from where they also kicked off their election campaigns.

Political observers said this signalled the strongest scramble for the region. Zanu-PF capped off the string of party conferences held in Bulawayo with its own in December.

Methuseli Moyo, the Zapu spokesman, conceded this week that there was a strong push by parties into the region.

Said Moyo: "There is definitely a scramble for Matabeleland as it has become strategic and every party now recognises that Bulawayo can either make or break a political party.

"No political party can afford to ignore Bulawayo and that is why we have also seen Zanu-PF move into the region speedily."

Since 2000, the Tsvangirai-led MDC has enjoyed a stranglehold on the region and capped its domination of Bulawayo with a resounding victory in the last parliamentary and presidential elections. The MDC-T won all the city's 12 House of Assembly seats, six of the seven Senate seats and 26 of the 29 councillors in the Bulawayo City Council.

But the party has recently come under fire in the court of public opinion, with its leadership from Matabeleland accused of supping with Zanu-PF and forgetting to push for the development of the region.

Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, the secretary-general in Ncube's MDC-N, caused a storm last year when she described the MDC-T leaders as "useless condoms".

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF is not letting up on making inroads into the region it has neglected for more than 10 years. Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Mines, held a lavish birthday party last weekend in Nyamandlovu, attended by 10000 guests and rumoured to have cost $100000.

Analysts said the birthday bash was also a show of strength by the Zanu-PF stalwart, desperate to attract voters. But Tabitha Khumalo, the MDC-T deputy national spokesman, dismissed Mpofu's efforts. "Bulawayo voters are loyal and they are known to stand firmly on a political decision and come election time they will vote resoundingly for the MDC-T."