News / National
Mnangagwa shelves 'thank you' rallies
12 Jan 2019 at 17:32hrs | Views
Zanu-PF has shelved President Emmerson Mnangagwa's "thank you rallies" across the country as the economic situation continues to deteriorate.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told the Daily News that people are still busy in their fields and they will announce Mnangagwa's rallies programme later.
"This is festive and farming season people are busy in their fields and we shall announce it at the right time," Khaya Moyo said.
In November last year, Mnangagwa held a rally in Mashonaland West, Murombedzi, where he promised to solve the current economic crisis.
However, the country is in the throes of a mega economic crisis which has resulted in shortages of fuel, basic consumer goods and medicines.
Before the Murombedzi rally, Zanu-PF promised to roll out similar rallies across the country but sources said the ruling party has cancelled these fearing that people will not attend due to the party's failure to fulfill pre-election promises.
However, Khaya Moyo said the decision to put the rallies on hold has nothing to do with the economy.
"No, there is nothing like that," Khaya Moyo said.
Mnangagwa narrowly won the hotly-disputed July 30 election against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.
Chamisa went on to accuse the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of manipulating the results in favour of the Zanu-PF leader.
However, Mnangagwa's victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.
The last harmonised elections were seen as a litmus test for Mnangagwa and his government, as their conduct was seen as determining whether the country would qualify for international bailouts and new investment.
Political analysts have said the violence and clampdown of opposition leaders might have already done a lot of harm to Mnangagwa's quest to mend years of frosty relations with Western governments.
They said until the post-poll anarchy, Mnangagwa had done enough to project himself and his administration as different from Mugabe - who was accused of running Zimbabwe to the ground.
However, the peaceful campaigns and a friendly spirit that had characterised the run-up to the elections were marred in the aftermath of the elections when deadly violence broke out in Harare's central business district (CBD), following a clash between opposition supporters and security agents.
At least six people subsequently died when the army, which had been called in to assist in managing the situation, used live ammunition to break the ugly protests.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told the Daily News that people are still busy in their fields and they will announce Mnangagwa's rallies programme later.
"This is festive and farming season people are busy in their fields and we shall announce it at the right time," Khaya Moyo said.
In November last year, Mnangagwa held a rally in Mashonaland West, Murombedzi, where he promised to solve the current economic crisis.
However, the country is in the throes of a mega economic crisis which has resulted in shortages of fuel, basic consumer goods and medicines.
Before the Murombedzi rally, Zanu-PF promised to roll out similar rallies across the country but sources said the ruling party has cancelled these fearing that people will not attend due to the party's failure to fulfill pre-election promises.
However, Khaya Moyo said the decision to put the rallies on hold has nothing to do with the economy.
"No, there is nothing like that," Khaya Moyo said.
Chamisa went on to accuse the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of manipulating the results in favour of the Zanu-PF leader.
However, Mnangagwa's victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.
The last harmonised elections were seen as a litmus test for Mnangagwa and his government, as their conduct was seen as determining whether the country would qualify for international bailouts and new investment.
Political analysts have said the violence and clampdown of opposition leaders might have already done a lot of harm to Mnangagwa's quest to mend years of frosty relations with Western governments.
They said until the post-poll anarchy, Mnangagwa had done enough to project himself and his administration as different from Mugabe - who was accused of running Zimbabwe to the ground.
However, the peaceful campaigns and a friendly spirit that had characterised the run-up to the elections were marred in the aftermath of the elections when deadly violence broke out in Harare's central business district (CBD), following a clash between opposition supporters and security agents.
At least six people subsequently died when the army, which had been called in to assist in managing the situation, used live ammunition to break the ugly protests.
Source - dailynews
