News / National
2018 victory is certain, says Tsvangirai
11 Jun 2017 at 12:35hrs | Views
A buoyant opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, yesterday told thousands of his supporters who braved the chilly and drizzly weather in the Midlands capital that President Robert Mugabe's advanced age - coupled with the ruling Zanu-PF's vicious infighting - would deliver victory to the MDC in next year's make-or-break national elections.
The popular former prime minister in the government of national unity - who said he had been "energised" by the bumper crowd which packed Mkoba Stadium - also assured long-suffering Zimbabweans that change would take place in 2018 notwithstanding the involvement of a Chinese firm in the sourcing of the country's biometric voter registration (BVR) kits.
"The coming election is not about Mugabe versus Tsvangirai, but about evil versus good. It's also something that is going to shock the world that a 94-year-old stands for an election. How can that be possible?"
"Some in Zanu-PF have said they will even conduct their party's politburo meetings at his grave, while others have said he (Mugabe) is God. Is that what Christians do?
"Whether Mugabe stands (in 2018) or not, it's still a loss (for Zanu-PF) because those who will support him will be very few and even if they put up someone else, very few will support him ... Even if they try to steal the elections they won't succeed," Tsvangirai told the cheering crowds.
"Zanu (PF) cannot convince the people that it is defining a new direction for the country when is has failed dismally in the last four decades," he thundered further.
Zanu-PF is currently sharply divided, with the camp which is rabidly opposed to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe, the Generation 40 (G40) faction, involved in a life-and-death tussle with the VP's backers, Team Lacoste.
Mugabe and his Zanu-PF colleagues, in power since the country's independence from Britain in 1980, have also been accused of running down Zimbabwe's once prosperous economy through ruinous policies.
Zimbabwe is also currently in the grip of a ginormous economic crisis which has seen the country experiencing acute shortages of cash, amid horrendous company closures and jobless levels.
Against this background, Tsvangirai also urged people to register to vote in huge numbers in next year's watershed polls.
The dogged former labour union leader also allayed widespread fears about a Chinese company, Laxton Group, being awarded a tender to supply the country's BVR kits.
"BVR cannot be manipulated. The Chinese were chosen with the involvement of the United Nations ... So, don't doubt because it's China, don't be afraid," he said.
This comes as the MDC had earlier expressed outrage over the recent decision by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to award the BVR kits tender to Laxton — which it suspected may be used by Zanu-PF to manipulate the crucial polls.
The country's quest to acquire BVR kits had earlier in the process also caused a huge political storm, with opposition parties viewing the government's involvement in the purchase of the equipment as problematic.
This was after the government suddenly decided to sideline the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from procuring the BVR kits, with unanswered questions being raised about how Mugabe's stone-broke administration was able to secure funding for this, to the staggering tune of $17 million.
Yesterday, Tsvangirai also hinted that the long-mooted grand opposition coalition was nearing finalisation.
However, he warned that without needed electoral reforms, the electoral alliance was unlikely to achieve its goals of wrestling power from Zanu-PF.
"There is no other country in the region that violates Sadc principles and standards except Zimbabwe," he said.
Tsvangirai and other leaders of the smaller opposition parties have been demanding sweeping electoral reforms ahead of the 2018 elections.
At the same time, he has been finalising talks towards the formation of the envisaged alliance, whose prospects were brightened when he recently signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with former Vice President Joice Mujuru and his one time secretary-general, Welshman Ncube.
Analysts have said the opposition, contesting next year's elections as a united front, stands a good chance of finally bringing an end to both Mugabe's and Zanu-PF's long rule.
Optimism has been high within opposition circles ever since Tsvangirai and Mujuru joined forces and walked the streets of Gweru in August last year, in a rare public show of unity.
And Tsvangirai yesterday was reminded by the exuberant crowd that turned up at his rally how important he was to ordinary Zimbabweans' hopes for a new political dispensation in the country.
"Thank you for coming in your numbers. Gweru madadisa (you have done the country proud," Tsvangirai said on micro-blogging site Twitter, an hour after ending his rally.
Meanwhile, eight war veterans and war collaborators from Mashonaland East who defected from Zanu-PF were introduced to MDC supporters at yesterday's rally.
Tsvangirai said it was important for both the ruling Zanu-PF and war veterans to remember that the fight for independence was a collaborative effort between ordinary people and freedom fighters, adding that the purpose of the liberation struggle was to uphold the ideals of freedom and the right to vote.
Tomana was in 'wrong' Zanu-PF basket
Zanu-PF insiders say while fired Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana contributed to his own demise regarding his inglorious exit from his powerful State position, he was also a victim of the ruling party's vicious tribal, factional and succession wars.
Tomana was relieved of his duties as PG on Friday by President Robert Mugabe, after he was found guilty of both misconduct and incompetence by a tribunal that was set up by the nonagenarian to determine if he was still fit to continue holding office.
"He (Tomana) was in the wrong basket (Zanu-PF faction), and it didn't help that he became cocky and made many mistakes.
"Generally speaking, and as you know, senior party officials never lose their jobs for either misconduct or incompetence as he did," a Zanu-PF bigwig told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.
University of Zimbabwe politics expert, Eldred Masunungure also said while many people would not "lament" Tomana's departure" because of how he had conducted himself while still in office, there was a suggestion that the fallen PG was a victim of Zanu-PF's deadly infighting.
"Tomana did not play his cards well while in office. He also went on to defy court decisions, thereby alienating himself with many in and outside Zanu-PF.
"It is understandable therefore that he may have fallen victim to the factionalism playing out in the ruling party.
"It is also a question of bad luck on his part because he is not the only one who has failed in his mandate. Others who have done so have lived longer in their positions.
"In that light, Tomana is clearly a victim of Zanu-PF factionalism, even as many will not lament his departure mainly because of his glaring incompetency," Masunungure told the Daily News On Sunday.
Zanu-PF is currently sharply divided, with the camp which is rabidly opposed to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe, the Generation 40 (G40) faction, involved in a life-and-death tussle with the VP's backers, Team Lacoste.
Tomana was appointed PG in November 2013, after the functions of the attorney-general and the prosecutor-general were split under the country's new Constitution.
Justice ministry permanent secretary Virginia Mabiza announced Tomana's removal from office in Friday's government gazette.
"It is hereby notified that His Excellency the president has received the report of the tribunal appointed under section 187 (3) as read with section 259 (7) of the Constitution to inquire into the question of removing the Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana, from office for incompetence and misconduct.
"In that report, the tribunal has advised His Excellency the president that the prosecutor general ought to be removed from office for incompetence and misconduct.
"Accordingly, in terms of section 187(8), of the Constitution, the prosecutor general is removed from office with effect from the date of publication of this notice," Mabiza said.
Tomana was suspended in July last year over a slew of allegations which included criminal abuse of office and gross incompetence involving a number of cases that were before the courts.
The tribunal, which was headed by retired High Court judge Moses Chinhengo, completed its probe in February.
The panel also included University of Zimbabwe Dean of Law Emmanuel Magade and Harare lawyer Melina Matshiya.
Among the issues that the panel was interrogating was Tomana's alleged refusal to issue a private prosecution certificate to Francis Maramwidze for the prosecution of disgraced former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) advisor and MP Munyaradzi Kereke.
The former aide to retired RBZ governor Gideon Gono is serving an effective 10 years in jail for raping his then 11-year-old niece at gunpoint almost seven years ago, after four years of his sentence was suspended if he behaves well.
Other allegations related to Tomana's refusal to issue certificates of prosecution against former Telecel director Jane Mutasa, who was facing fraud charges, as well as obstructing justice after ordering the withdrawal of charges against two suspects who were being accused of planning to bomb Gushungo Dairy, a company owned by the First Family.
He was also accused of abusing his office by withdrawing charges against former deputy minister Bright Matonga, who was accused of corruption in 2008.
The tribunal also heard that the former PG had ordered the withdrawal of charges that had been laid against former Bindura Hospital acting superintendent, Beauty Basile, who had been charged with criminal abuse of office.
The popular former prime minister in the government of national unity - who said he had been "energised" by the bumper crowd which packed Mkoba Stadium - also assured long-suffering Zimbabweans that change would take place in 2018 notwithstanding the involvement of a Chinese firm in the sourcing of the country's biometric voter registration (BVR) kits.
"The coming election is not about Mugabe versus Tsvangirai, but about evil versus good. It's also something that is going to shock the world that a 94-year-old stands for an election. How can that be possible?"
"Some in Zanu-PF have said they will even conduct their party's politburo meetings at his grave, while others have said he (Mugabe) is God. Is that what Christians do?
"Whether Mugabe stands (in 2018) or not, it's still a loss (for Zanu-PF) because those who will support him will be very few and even if they put up someone else, very few will support him ... Even if they try to steal the elections they won't succeed," Tsvangirai told the cheering crowds.
"Zanu (PF) cannot convince the people that it is defining a new direction for the country when is has failed dismally in the last four decades," he thundered further.
Zanu-PF is currently sharply divided, with the camp which is rabidly opposed to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe, the Generation 40 (G40) faction, involved in a life-and-death tussle with the VP's backers, Team Lacoste.
Mugabe and his Zanu-PF colleagues, in power since the country's independence from Britain in 1980, have also been accused of running down Zimbabwe's once prosperous economy through ruinous policies.
Zimbabwe is also currently in the grip of a ginormous economic crisis which has seen the country experiencing acute shortages of cash, amid horrendous company closures and jobless levels.
Against this background, Tsvangirai also urged people to register to vote in huge numbers in next year's watershed polls.
The dogged former labour union leader also allayed widespread fears about a Chinese company, Laxton Group, being awarded a tender to supply the country's BVR kits.
"BVR cannot be manipulated. The Chinese were chosen with the involvement of the United Nations ... So, don't doubt because it's China, don't be afraid," he said.
This comes as the MDC had earlier expressed outrage over the recent decision by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to award the BVR kits tender to Laxton — which it suspected may be used by Zanu-PF to manipulate the crucial polls.
The country's quest to acquire BVR kits had earlier in the process also caused a huge political storm, with opposition parties viewing the government's involvement in the purchase of the equipment as problematic.
This was after the government suddenly decided to sideline the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from procuring the BVR kits, with unanswered questions being raised about how Mugabe's stone-broke administration was able to secure funding for this, to the staggering tune of $17 million.
Yesterday, Tsvangirai also hinted that the long-mooted grand opposition coalition was nearing finalisation.
However, he warned that without needed electoral reforms, the electoral alliance was unlikely to achieve its goals of wrestling power from Zanu-PF.
"There is no other country in the region that violates Sadc principles and standards except Zimbabwe," he said.
Tsvangirai and other leaders of the smaller opposition parties have been demanding sweeping electoral reforms ahead of the 2018 elections.
At the same time, he has been finalising talks towards the formation of the envisaged alliance, whose prospects were brightened when he recently signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with former Vice President Joice Mujuru and his one time secretary-general, Welshman Ncube.
Analysts have said the opposition, contesting next year's elections as a united front, stands a good chance of finally bringing an end to both Mugabe's and Zanu-PF's long rule.
Optimism has been high within opposition circles ever since Tsvangirai and Mujuru joined forces and walked the streets of Gweru in August last year, in a rare public show of unity.
And Tsvangirai yesterday was reminded by the exuberant crowd that turned up at his rally how important he was to ordinary Zimbabweans' hopes for a new political dispensation in the country.
"Thank you for coming in your numbers. Gweru madadisa (you have done the country proud," Tsvangirai said on micro-blogging site Twitter, an hour after ending his rally.
Meanwhile, eight war veterans and war collaborators from Mashonaland East who defected from Zanu-PF were introduced to MDC supporters at yesterday's rally.
Tsvangirai said it was important for both the ruling Zanu-PF and war veterans to remember that the fight for independence was a collaborative effort between ordinary people and freedom fighters, adding that the purpose of the liberation struggle was to uphold the ideals of freedom and the right to vote.
Tomana was in 'wrong' Zanu-PF basket
Zanu-PF insiders say while fired Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana contributed to his own demise regarding his inglorious exit from his powerful State position, he was also a victim of the ruling party's vicious tribal, factional and succession wars.
Tomana was relieved of his duties as PG on Friday by President Robert Mugabe, after he was found guilty of both misconduct and incompetence by a tribunal that was set up by the nonagenarian to determine if he was still fit to continue holding office.
"He (Tomana) was in the wrong basket (Zanu-PF faction), and it didn't help that he became cocky and made many mistakes.
"Generally speaking, and as you know, senior party officials never lose their jobs for either misconduct or incompetence as he did," a Zanu-PF bigwig told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.
University of Zimbabwe politics expert, Eldred Masunungure also said while many people would not "lament" Tomana's departure" because of how he had conducted himself while still in office, there was a suggestion that the fallen PG was a victim of Zanu-PF's deadly infighting.
"Tomana did not play his cards well while in office. He also went on to defy court decisions, thereby alienating himself with many in and outside Zanu-PF.
"It is understandable therefore that he may have fallen victim to the factionalism playing out in the ruling party.
"It is also a question of bad luck on his part because he is not the only one who has failed in his mandate. Others who have done so have lived longer in their positions.
"In that light, Tomana is clearly a victim of Zanu-PF factionalism, even as many will not lament his departure mainly because of his glaring incompetency," Masunungure told the Daily News On Sunday.
Zanu-PF is currently sharply divided, with the camp which is rabidly opposed to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe, the Generation 40 (G40) faction, involved in a life-and-death tussle with the VP's backers, Team Lacoste.
Tomana was appointed PG in November 2013, after the functions of the attorney-general and the prosecutor-general were split under the country's new Constitution.
Justice ministry permanent secretary Virginia Mabiza announced Tomana's removal from office in Friday's government gazette.
"It is hereby notified that His Excellency the president has received the report of the tribunal appointed under section 187 (3) as read with section 259 (7) of the Constitution to inquire into the question of removing the Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana, from office for incompetence and misconduct.
"In that report, the tribunal has advised His Excellency the president that the prosecutor general ought to be removed from office for incompetence and misconduct.
"Accordingly, in terms of section 187(8), of the Constitution, the prosecutor general is removed from office with effect from the date of publication of this notice," Mabiza said.
Tomana was suspended in July last year over a slew of allegations which included criminal abuse of office and gross incompetence involving a number of cases that were before the courts.
The tribunal, which was headed by retired High Court judge Moses Chinhengo, completed its probe in February.
The panel also included University of Zimbabwe Dean of Law Emmanuel Magade and Harare lawyer Melina Matshiya.
Among the issues that the panel was interrogating was Tomana's alleged refusal to issue a private prosecution certificate to Francis Maramwidze for the prosecution of disgraced former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) advisor and MP Munyaradzi Kereke.
The former aide to retired RBZ governor Gideon Gono is serving an effective 10 years in jail for raping his then 11-year-old niece at gunpoint almost seven years ago, after four years of his sentence was suspended if he behaves well.
Other allegations related to Tomana's refusal to issue certificates of prosecution against former Telecel director Jane Mutasa, who was facing fraud charges, as well as obstructing justice after ordering the withdrawal of charges against two suspects who were being accused of planning to bomb Gushungo Dairy, a company owned by the First Family.
He was also accused of abusing his office by withdrawing charges against former deputy minister Bright Matonga, who was accused of corruption in 2008.
The tribunal also heard that the former PG had ordered the withdrawal of charges that had been laid against former Bindura Hospital acting superintendent, Beauty Basile, who had been charged with criminal abuse of office.
Source - dailynews
