Rude awakening for Mujuru, ZimPF party

ZANU-PF yesterday gave Dr Joice Mujuru's ZimPF party a baptism of fire in Bikita West after its candidate, Beauty Chabaya, romped to victory garnering 13 156 votes to her nearest rival Mr Kudakwashe Gopo of ZimPF's 2 453 votes.

Independent candidate Innocent Muzvimbiri weighed in with 725 votes, followed by Mr Madock Chivasa (NCA) with 343 votes, Mr Terrence Tanyaradzwa Makomborero (PDZ) with 132 votes while former MDC-T legislator for the area Mr Heya Shoko, who many touted as the MDC-T's proxy candidate, got the wooden spoon after managing a paltry 76 votes.

There were 247 spoiled ballots.

This was the first election Dr Mujuru's party has participated in since its launch and the heavy drubbing the party received cast doubts on its viability given that it is already riven by internecine fights.

So decisive was Chabaya's victory that the combined opposition vote, which amounted to a paltry 3 577, constituted slightly over a quarter of Zanu-PF's tally, a development that analysts said exposed for a farce claims that an opposition coalition can trouble a rampant Zanu-PF.

In the 2013 harmonised elections, two candidates split the Zanu-PF vote after Dr Munyaradzi Kereke insisted on standing on a Zanu-PF ticket despite the fact that the official Zanu-PF candidate was Elias Musakwa. The two Zanu-PF candidates, de facto and de jure, polled 6 270 and 6 052 votes respectively translating to 12 322 votes cast for Zanu-PF which went on to win the seat inspite of the divided vote.

Chabaya's 13 156 votes are 834 votes more than what Zanu-PF garnered in 2013, translating to 7 percent growth in electoral support.

Bikita West constituency elections officer Mr Maxwell Mashavave early yesterday morning declared Chabaya's the winner after announcing the final votes at the constituency command centre at Nyika Growth Point.

Chabaya dedicated her victory to President Mugabe, saying she would not sit on her laurels as

she already has an eye on the 2018 harmonised elections.

"This victory sends a clear message that Zanu-PF is the only game in town," Chabaya said. "The people of Zimbabwe still have faith in President Mugabe's leadership and the governing party, Zanu-PF. I dedicate this sweet victory to President Mugabe.

"I also think that the outcome of this election sends a clear message that there is no room to manoeuvre for opposition parties, especially as we approach the 2018 elections. It's clear that even the new political parties like ZimPF are wasting their time because Zanu-PF is still rooted in the hearts of the people.''

Chabaya refuted allegations of vote buying made by some opposition parties, which accused the ruling party of using food and agricultural inputs as baits.

She said the Zanu-PF Government had traditionally assisted the people with food and inputs every year, whether there were elections or not.

While other losing candidates in the by-election could not be reached for comment, Mr Gopo accepted defeat and congratulated Chabaya for her crushing victory.

"We as ZimPF, accept the outcome of the polls and I want to congratulate Chabaya, who happens to be my niece, for her sweet victory," he said. "The people of Bikita have said what they want and we should accept that. There may be some who may have one or two complaints about the conduct of the elections, but it will not change anything. The people have spoken.''

Speaking before the closure of voting on Saturday, ZimPF senior official and former Zanu-PF politburo member Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire expressed satisfaction with the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere across the constituency on the day of voting.

"There will be no point in refusing to accept the final results in any election if we have already chosen to take part in that election,'' he said when asked whether his party would accept the poll outcome or not.

Political analysts and commentators were unanimous that the Bikita West by-election result was a death knell for Dr Mujuru and her struggling ZimPF party.

They said Dr Mujuru and her party would find it hard to "politically resurrect'' and challenge Zanu-PF's political dominance in Zimbabwe.

Great Zimbabwe University Philosophy lecturer Mr Jowere Mukusha said the margin of Zanu-PF's victory against other opposition parties showed the ruling party was a people's party.

"This shows clearly that Zanu-PF is not an individual party, but a people's party which cannot be shaken by political opportunists," he said. "It is also clear that the people of Masvingo do not support opportunists.

"The landslide Zanu-PF victory in the Bikita West by-election shows that Zanu-PF has the capacity to unite even in the face of differences. The party is bound by the values of Ujamaa. It's not child's play.''

Mr Mukusha's sentiments were echoed by veteran Masvingo lawyer Advocate Isaac Muzenda, who said the result was a rude awakening to ZimPF and its leader Dr Mujuru.

"As a new entrant in the political arena, ZimPF's poor showing in Bikita West is a sign of poor organisation and lack of policies that can take the nation forward because Masvingo province is the barometer of the whole nation," he said.

"ZimPF would need to go back to the drawing board if the party entertains any hopes of making an impact on the local political sphere. The Bikita West by-election results show that there is need for ZimPF to replan, restrategise and clear people's doubts about the party ahead of the 2018 elections."

Adv Muzenda said Zanu-PF showed that it was a people's party before voting in the Bikita West by-election, with the party deploying its senior officials, Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, to drum up support for Chabaya.

Association of Rural District Councils in Zimbabwe president Councillor Killer Zivhu said the Bikita West poll had sent a clear message to Dr Mujuru that she is a virtual nonentity outside Zanu-PF.

"The message is clear that people in rural areas where the majority of Zimbabweans live still have confidence in the leadership of President Mugabe and Zanu-PF," he said. "The ruling party has shown that it is an unstoppable machine that will win elections even if the party does not campaign.

"It should be noted that (Dr) Mujuru did not resign from Zanu-PF, she was expelled and people know that, hence they will not support a person who has no future in Zimbabwean politics. She must just swallow her pride and come back home.''

Cllr Zivhu's sentiments were echoed by Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial political commissar Jappy Jaboon, who said the resounding win by Zanu-PF in Bikita West was further testament that the ruling party's was strongly connected to the people.

"We are now expecting to receive a letter from (Dr) Mujuru asking to rejoin Zanu-PF," he said. "There is no future ahead of her. Even if the so-called coalition of parties opposed to Zanu-PF is formed, nothing will be achieved. This was a big statement from the people to (Dr) Mujuru.''

Senior Zanu-PF Masvingo politburo member Josaya Hungwe said although it was a foregone conclusion that his party would win the Bikita West seat, the runaway margin affirmed its uncontested dominance on the Masvingo political scene.

"These results have demonstrated that Zanu-PF is a people's party whose roots are in the people compared to other political parties that are led by novices and are "office political parties'' with no grounding in the people,'' he said.

"For (Dr) Mujuru the message to her from this election is that she has a lot to learn."

The Bikita West by-election was held to fill the vacancy left after incumbent Munyaradzi Kereke was jailed for 10 years last year for raping his 11-year-old niece.

The ruling party has been bagging all the parliamentary by-elections held in the post-2013 harmonised elections, save for the loss in the Norton by-election last year that was blamed on alleged voter discontent, amid reports that the ruling party candidate in the by-election had been imposed.

The Norton constituency was won by independent candidate and expelled former Zanu-PF official Mr Temba Mliswa.