Matabeleland ready to give Welshman Ncube a chance

People from Matabeleland's major centres have expressed an overwhelming willingness to give Professor Welshman Ncube and his MDC a chance come next election or any by election that may arise in the region.

In a street survey conducted by Bulawayo24 agents in the region's main centres Bulawayo, Gwanda, Victoria Falls, Beitbridge, Filabusi and Plumtree a majority of the people interviewed by means of a questionnaire are agreeing that if an election was to be held anytime now up to 2018 they would vote Ncube and his MDC.

The survey where each agent was given questioners to randomly interview 50 people in the areas 53% of the people felt that Ncube's MDC is as of now the better option of the four parties presented. The survey was pitting the ruling ZANU PF, current main opposition in parliament the MDC T, Ncube's MDC and Dumiso Dabengwa's ZAPU.

Surprisingly, ZANU PF got the second spot with 31% of the preference while the MDC T pulled 14% and ZAPU 2%.

Answering to the question on what was influencing their choice in a detail, varying reasons were given but the main influence being the leadership renewal squabbles rocking the two main parties ZANU PF and the MDC T.

The respondents clearly expressed their unwillingness to give President Robert Mugabe another chance at leading the country expressing his advanced age as the reason. The responses suggested that while they favoured the black empowerment policy of ZANU PF if the ruling party was to come back to an election with Mugabe as their candidate they won't vote for him and his party.

Wrote one responded from Filabusi "I am a humanitarian, much as I am happy for being empowered by being given a mining claim I can not punish Mugabe any more by giving him the load of leading a country I will give my vote to the younger and fresher Welshman Ncube,"

Other respondents claim that ZANU PF can no longer be given the responsibility to run the country as it "always fails when it comes to the management of the economy."

"ZANU PF is a liberation party and they have given us the liberation both politically and economically its time they now retire and rest. Now the country needs to go into the hands of technocrats and I will opt for Welshman Ncube in that regard" responded a Bulawayo based businessman.

On Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC T, respondents unanimously agreed that the once vibrant opposition leader has failed to topple ZANU PF and must step aside and give others a chance. The respondents generally claim that Tsvangirai is not a capable leader as he appears to be intolerant of other people's views within his party.

Female contributors to the survey were all quick to mention the former Prime Minister's immorality as his major let down. Some respondents however claim they will still want to give Morgan Tsvangirai a chance because "he has given Mugabe a run against all odds" and that he has made a name for himself.

"Tsvangirai might not be too good but it will be difficult to bring another name to the people now. He has tried to make a name and must be given another chance then we remove him after he has removed Mugabe," wrote one responded a student at the UCE in Bulawayo.

On Welshman Ncube the respondents generally claim that his party stands a better chance as it has managed to remain united besides its poor performance in the last election coupled by a departure of a few of its top leaders. The respondents seem to be suggesting that Professor Ncube's party has the ideology that fits in well with the aspirations of the people in their areas but may have lost the last election because people were desperate to remove ZANU PF in the last election and not concerned about policy.

Wrote one responded a High School teacher in Plumtree "Ncube's MDC has the best policies but 2013 was about removing Mugabe not policies 2018 will be policies and Ncube's MDC will be better."

The other respondents said that they will vote for Prof Ncube and his MDC because it has a fresh crop of leaders "who are of a better calibre than the old failures in the other parties."

Others however claimed the contrary saying that Ncube's party has a lot of unknowns who still need more time to be tried and tested before they can be voted in.

"Ncube has a crop of immature members who are desperate for power that's why they change parties daily and so can not be trusted," said one respondent in Beitbridge.

On Dumiso Dabengwa's ZAPU, the general consensus in the survey was that the former PF ZAPU intelligence guru has lots relevance in current politics and the survival of his party would be to come into an alliance with Ncube's MDC as they share the same policies.