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Gushungo Dairy funded Chamisa campaign?

by Takunda Maodza
30 Jul 2018 at 06:50hrs | Views
ZIMBABWEANS have a choice today to vote for former President Robert Mugabe through Mr Nelson Chamisa or for a new Zimbabwe through President Mnangagwa. This was said by President Mnangagwa yesterday after a frail-looking Mr Mugabe held a Press conference at his Blue roof mansion in Borrowdale, Harare, and confirmed his union with Mr Chamisa of MDC-Alliance.

Mr Chamisa, throughout his campaign, boasted of Mr Mugabe's support. The 94-year-old Mr Mugabe willfully resigned last November following Operation Restore Legacy launched by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) to rid Government of criminal elements that had usurped executive powers through his wife, Grace.

The elements comprised G40 cabalists Professor Jonathan Moyo and Messrs Saviour Kasukuwere and Patrick Zhuwao. He later claimed he was forced out of power by ZDF even though he wrote to the National Assembly Speaker resigning to avoid impeachment by the august house.

In a message posted on his Facebook page hours after the Mugabe Press conference, President Mnangagwa said: "Now that it is clear to all that Chamisa has forged a deal with Mugabe, we can no longer believe that his intentions are to transform Zimbabwe and rebuild our nation. The choice is clear you either vote for Mugabe under the guise of Chamisa or vote for a new Zimbabwe under my leadership and zanu-pf. Real change is coming. We should all be part of it. God bless Zimbabwe."

According to the State controlled Herald, the Mugabes and Chamisa have been long time business partners, with Mr Chamisa's trucks contracted to carry Gushungo Dairy products even during the heady days of fierce confrontation between Zanu-PF and the MDC-T.

Gushungo Dairy is owned by Mr Mugabe who is reported to have facilitated the funding of Mr Chamisa's campaign from a far east country in the final weeks culminating in the erection of billboards, state-of-the-art stages at rallies and radio and television advertisements.

The glitz was a far cry from the earlier days of the campaign when Mr Chamisa had to face the ignominy of having a makeshift stage collapse under him during a rally in Hwange. Throughout his campaigns, Mr Chamisa boasted that Mr Mugabe would vote for him but would deny the existence of an electoral pact between him and Mr Mugabe who then let the cat out of the bag yesterday.

Addressing a rally at Shamva Stadium in Mazowe North on July 1, 2018, Mr Chamisa said he was guaranteed of the Mugabe vote even if the rest of Zimbabwe was to vote against him. "I laughed when I heard that Mugabe said he will vote for me," he said.

"I cannot refuse a vote. I know that even if you refuse to vote for me, I have one vote from Mugabe," said Mr Chamisa.

The unthinkable union between Messrs Chamisa and Mugabe came as a surprise to many. Under Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC-T fiercely fought to depose Mr Mugabe.

Source - the herald