'Court challenges by MDC-T will not derail our plans' says Zanu-PF

PRESIDENT Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have the mandate from the people to form the next Government and fulfil pledges made to the electorate in the run-up to the July 31 harmonised elections, a senior party official has said.

During the elections campaign the 89-year-old led party promised to uplift people's lives through indigenisation and economic empowerment programmes as espoused in the manifesto.

Addressing members of the Mashonaland West provincial co-ordinating committee in Chinhoyi at the weekend national political commissar Webster Shamu said Zanu-PF overwhelmingly won the harmonised elections because it responded to the needs of the people.

"We have the people's power and mandate. Zanu-PF is going to form the next Government and the court challenges by MDC-T leader Tsvangirai will not derail our plans because our plans as a party are not influenced by them (MDC-T)," said Shamu.

"President Mugabe won resoundingly and will form the next Government, in accordance with the country's laws of course."
His remarks come in the wake of a court application by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai seeking to invalidate the outcome of the election alleging irregularities in the process which swept President Mugabe to the highest office in the land with an overwhelming majority.

The results have been welcomed by progressive states in Africa and beyond, but challenged by the US, Britain and its dominion Australia, which bankroll the MDC-T.

Shamu said Zanu-PF's thrust was to uplift the lives of the people through creating an environment where wealth is spread to every level.
"We won the election because we were united as a party and we took time to learn from what happened in 2008 and come up with programmes that respond directly to the needs of the people as spelt out in our manifesto," he said.

Zimbabwe, he said, needed to balance production with the increasing cultural and economic needs as part of the continuing revolution which started with the likes of Mbuya Nehanda and King Lobengula, and fine tuned by President Mugabe.

Also speaking at the same event, Politburo member Dr Ignatius Chombo said it was now time for Zanu-PF to go to work and fulfil promises made during campaigns saying winning the majority of local authorities puts all the focus on the party to deliver.

"We have now won in most of the councils and after five years people will measure us against what we would have managed to achieve. Let's go to work," he said.

He said Zanu-PF advanced tangible programmes that resonated with the people.