Only alliance politics can 'wrestle' power from Zanu-PF

To deal away with one party dominant system in Zimbabwe, opposition People's Unity Party (PUP) leader Herbert Chamuka sees only oppositions' coalition, cooperation and alliance politics as the most viable way to wrestle power from the custodian of lthe iberation struggle Zanu-PF.

In an exclusive virtual interview with this publication, South African-based politician Chamuka said that alteration of power in the country remains somewhat a distant possibility mainly because of the poor nature of opposition electoral cooperation.

"There is a need to set up a working and formidable opposition alliance.

"Failure to do so will always make the ruling Zanu-PF the key dominant force in the country while the oppositions remain largely on the peripheries.

He added that even the popular Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) can not seize power from the revolutionary Zanu-PF alone.

"Without an amalgamation of oppositions, we are going nowhere as a country because Zanu-PF is there is stay till the day we decide to unite as oppositions," be said.

Chamuka also said that with the harmonised elections later this year, Zanu-PF has already started to revert to its old rigging ways.

This includes a coercive mechanism, intimidation and electoral manipulation, just for the ruling Zanu-PF to stay in power, Chamuka added.

"Zanu-PF has always been consistent in employing electoral manipulation, violence and intimidation around elections, even though it's always in the media appealing for peace, and free and fair elections," he added.

Chamuka also added that Mnangagwa's delay in announcing the date for elections as well as conducting underground campaigns are also his rigging tacticts.

"Why is Mnangagwa taking too long to announce the date for elections? Zanu-PF wants to squeeze the campaigning time for the oppositions so that they won't have much time do all preparation stuff towards the elections," he said.

"I heard that Teaches for ED are having campaigns under the guise of workshops. Don't be fooled, those are campaigns."

Chamuka said rigging and corruption are the main reasons why the Americas and the West are unwilling to remove Zimbabwe from sanctions.

Damning corruption allegations exposed of high-ranking officials by news network Al Jazeera took away the little that the Zanu-PF-led government had to make a case against the continued imposition of sanctions by the US and the West, Chamuka said.

He added that for as long as Zimbabwe remains unrepentant in stemming corruption and rigging elections, there is little to motivate the countries that imposed the sanctions to lift them.