Mutumwa Mawere to vote for Tsvangirai

SOUTH Africa-based businessman, Mutumwa Mawere, has announced that he is backing MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the presidency in elections scheduled for the end of this month.

In a statement Tuesday, Mawere said: "Like many voters, I have watched the performance of the inclusive government and if there was any doubt about who is the problem, the proclamation of the nomination and election dates has fortified my belief that Zimbabwe needs a new face to inspire hope.

"The promise of hope and change needs real flesh and brand ambassadors and although President Mugabe is an honest, principled and courageous man, it cannot be said that his re-election will bring the kind of change that the people of Zimbabwe need and deserve.

"What I know today is that were it not for the determination and courage of people like Tsvangirai, I would not be a beneficiary of dual citizenship for the prohibition of dual citizenship was sanctioned by Zanu PF and continues to be enforced even after the enactment of amendment number 20 of the Constitution.

"Tsvangirai has met challenge after challenge, and there is no doubt that he has grown as a leader (who) should be equal to the myriad of challenges that the economy faces.

"I have chosen a different lens to consider my choice on 31 July 2013 not as a member of any party but as a new citizen informed by what the country needs at this critical juncture in its history and development.

"Although President Mugabe is an honest, principled and courageous man, it cannot be said that his re-election will bring the kind of change that the people of Zimbabwe need and deserve.

"Zanu PF has retreated to gutter politics, running a campaign on partisan division, racial warfare, and class antagonism (and) President Mugabe's policies and worldview are deeply mired in the past.

"Zimbabwe is economically battered and continues to drift without a defined flight path and destination and President Mugabe cannot escape culpability notwithstanding the fact that it will be wrong to attribute all the failure solely to him.

"Tsvangirai must be rest assured that he does not need to repay me for my vote.  It is a free vote, albeit, I had to pay lawyers to assert it.

"I am eternally grateful to all who voted for the adoption of the new constitution without which I would not be able to vote.

"Indeed, my name has been linked with a new party, United Movement for Democracy ("UMD"), creating the perception that my quest for citizenship was purely motivated by a desire for political relevance and power.

"The truth is that I am not a member of the party and could not have been even if I wanted.  I was a non-resident alien in terms of the laws of Zimbabwe and, therefore, to any rational person it would have been ridiculous for me to head a party in a country in which I am considered a foreigner.

"By declaring my choice for the office of the President, I do hope that the people who purport to support me can take a cue on what to do on the Election Day.

"Given the limited time available, I intend to meet all the people who have chosen to join UMD also to be independent that they should follow my example."

Mawere recently regained his Zimbabwean citizenship after successfully challenging, at the Constitutional Court, registrar general (RG) Tobaiwa Mudede's insistence that dual citizenship remained illegal even under the country's new constitution.

The RG had told Mawere to first renounce his South African citizenship before he could apply for Zimbabwean national registration documents.

Zimbabweans will vote on July 31 to choose a successor to the coalition government between Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe which came into office after violent but disputed polls in 2008.