Mugabe entices presidential scholarship beneficiaries

IN a move that shows the desperation of ZANU PF, Mugabe has reportedly turned his futile campaign strategies to the presidential scholarship beneficiaries whom he seeks to meet at the State House this month, Bulawayo 24 can exclusively reveal.

The aging Zanu PF leader has reportedly summoned the presidential scholarship beneficiaries from 1995 to date; a move that analysts have said is a desperate stunt by Zanu PF to canvass for support ahead of this year's harmonised elections.

The invite - seen by Bulawayo 24 this week, summons all the scholarship beneficiaries to the State House on June 29.

Approximately 500 Zimbabwean students sponsored under President Robert Mugabe scholarship fund attend universities in neighbouring South Africa every year.

"All beneficiaries of the presidential scholarship programme (1995 -2013) within and outside Zimbabwe are cordially invited to meet with the Scholarship Founder and President of Zimbabwe Comrade R.G Mugabe on June 29 at State House Harare at 8 O'clock.  All beneficiaries who are able to attend should contact the Programme Executive Director's office," reads part of the invite.

Efforts to get a comment from Cde Christopher Mushohwe who is the director of the Presidential Scholarship Programme were futile as his mobile number went unreachable until the time of going to press.

However, in an interview early this week, Effie Ncube, chairperson of the Matabeleland Constitutional Reform Agenda (MACRA) said the invite was clearly a campaign strategy which has nothing to do with education adding Mugabe wanted to ride on being the scholarship founder to entice both the young and old to cast votes for him.

"This meeting is clearly not related to education. This is an electioneering programme that Mugabe wants to ride on ahead of elections. Mugabe as the founder of the scholarship programme will likely want to use this meeting as campaign strategy meant to depict himself as the right candidate for the presidency," Ncube said.

He also said the meeting might also heavily expose the presidential scholarship programme if there is a huge turn -out it adding it might imply students are recruited on Zanu PF tickets.

"If the turn- out is huge it will be clear that the scholarship beneficiaries are recruited on Zanu PF tickets but if the turn- out is low it might imply students are recruited on merit and that they are not in any way linked to Zanu PF," he said.

Dumisani Nkomo a Bulawayo based political analyst echoed the same sentiments:
"This is clearly a campaign strategy. Why was he not calling them before? We expected him to call them even without elections," Nkomo said.

 However he said the scholarship beneficiaries might turn out in large numbers to show courtesy to the person who assisted them to get university education but might punish him when they get into the ballot.

"They (students) are likely to turn out in huge number regardless of political affiliation to please him (Mugabe) because he gave them an opportunity to study but they will punish him when they get into the ballot, Nkomo said.