Transform Zimbabwe accuses ZimPF of stealing its colours

Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) has accused former Vice-President Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) of "stealing" its corporate blue and white colours and using the phrase "transformation" on its campaign T-shirts.

This came out after ZimPF recently printed blue T-shirts branded with the phrase "transformation", which Jacob Ngarivhume's TZ party uses to identify itself.

"It is known that ZimPF used green, yellow and white as their colours. In fact, their colours are very close to those of their sister party, Zanu-PF. Transform Zimbabwe has always used their official blue and white colours," he said yesterday.

"Now, ZimPF has moved to the blue colour. As if that in not enough, they now use 'transformation', as their catchphrase. This is unacceptable! It's clear that ZimPF is trying to take advantage of the rising TZ brand for themselves. They want to confuse the electorate and take advantage of the brand we have worked so hard to build."

Ngarivhume described the move as mischievous, adding the country "is tired of people, who are not original and creative".

ZimPF spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire, challenged TZ to produce patent certificates for the contested colours.

"Surely, no political party has patented a colour and made it their own. Zanu-PF uses all the colours on their flag, including red, and we have never heard MDC-T complaining. What speaks is the brand, not the colour in which it's packaged," he said.

"We don't want to be dragged into discussions with attention-seekers, who seek relevance by always talking of ZimPF and Mujuru. I thought transformation is an English word that denotes change, which the MDC-T has always been associated with, yet we haven't heard them accusing other political parties of using the term or its synonyms.

"Some people just need to grow up and begin to be serious political players, not drama kings always known for complaining about the conduct of other political parties."

United States-based opposition Zimbabwe People First leader, Maxwell Zeb Shumba, has also accused Mujuru of stealing his party name, but she has denied the charge.

Mujuru and her former lieutenants, Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, are currently fighting over use of the party name and symbols.