It's Chamisa's day

TODAY'S election is a 'done deal' and Zimbabweans will only be going through the motions to validate his ascendency to the top job, MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa (left) has said.

Chamisa yesterday declared during a Press briefing in Harare that after today's polls, his archrival President Emmerson Mnangagwa (right) would soon find himself in the opposition camp.

"Any election outcome that will have Mnangagwa as a victor is not an election, but fiction. I have said it before and I will say it again. We are very clear of the will of the people. It's not as if an election is going to be conducted on planet Mars or in heaven, it's an earthly election in Zimbabwe," he said.

"We are Zimbabweans, we know what the people want. What we are doing tomorrow (today) is to confirm the will of the people and to emphasise the mandate of the people. In fact he (Mnangagwa) has been overestimated by many people. I have estimated him correctly and he cannot win this election."

Flanked by his lawyer Thabani Mpofu, Chamisa and his team said they had outlined a raft of measures to safeguard the election results. The measures include, but not limited, to citizens carrying their own pens to the polling booth, activists groups of 12 and under gathering within the legal vicinity of the polling station to "protect the vote" as well as taking videos and pictures of results once they are posted at various polling stations.

"So any skullduggery, shenanigans, manipulations, corruption of the election is not going to be acceptable in this country. That's why I have said to Mnangagwa let us meet, but he has been running away from me. Now he cannot run away we are meeting at the ballot," said the youthful opposition leader.

This came as former President Robert Mugabe yesterday dropped the bombshell at the 11th hour saying he would not vote for his Zanu PF "tormentors".

Asked to name his preferred presidential candidate, Mugabe unequivocally said: "I have said the two women Thokozani Khupe (MDC-T) and Joice Mujuru (PRC) don't seem to offer anything, I say what is there? I saw Chamisa."

But Chamisa said he was going to win the election with or without Mugabe's endorsement, adding former First Lady Grace Mugabe would not feature on his new government structure.

"There is this misconception, and I must clear it once and for all. There is no role for Grace Mugabe in my government. This is desperation from Zanu PF who have their issues with the Mugabes.

"They want to export their troubles and worries. Please leave me alone Mr Mnangagwa and your Zanu PF people. Deal with your old man. You have disappointed him, he is so disappointed. Please make amends with him," Chamisa said.

He added that he would accept votes from any citizen in order to win.

"I have nothing to do with what President Mugabe would want to say as a voter, he is a citizen. It is not my duty as a candidate to go and choose voters. We are not going into this election to choose voters, we are going to be chosen. So if somebody says they are likely to have a favourable disposition towards me, who am I to deny that extra vote that will make the fundamental win that we want? You don't discriminate against voters. This is a crucial election. It's do or die," he said.

Chamisa said Mnangagwa had lost trust even within his party.

"There is unhappiness with Mnangagwa, there is loss of trust with Mnangagwa in his party. I have my party and country to take care of. I am not interested in distractions. Mr Mugabe's wishes are his wishes. I am going to accept any voter with open hands, open hands but with a clear mind and a very circumspect conscience.

"My focus is to win the election. The purpose of the election is to validate or to invalidate the will of the people.

We have already seen it. I have only seen one and that is Mnangagwa, I have not seen others (candidates). If they are also part of the election they are better off supporting this side than the other," Chamisa said.