CCC is a US puppet, says Zanu-PF

THE ruling Zanu-PF party has accused the United States of interfering in Zimbabwe's political affairs, claiming that the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) is a puppet party bent on facilitating Zimbabwe's re-colonisation.

The ruling party's vitriol comes after the Southern African Development Community Election Observer Mission (SEOM), African Union-Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, European Union Observer Mission, Commmonwealth Observer Mission and the Carter Center raised the red flag over the August 23 and 24 polls.

The US embassy in Harare also released a statement saying it shared the sentiments of the different missions.

"These missions cited problems with the transparency, independence, fairness and credibility of electoral processes; undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of expression that are guaranteed by Zimbabwe's Constitution and reflected in regional guidelines; reports of voter intimidation; and the disenfranchisement of candidates, particularly women," the US Embassy statement said.

Soon after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was proclaimed winner of the largely controversial poll with a 52,6% win against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa's 44%, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the opposition CCC party would never rule Zimbabwe because it was an infiltration tool by the West to recolonise Zimbabwe.

Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Mutsvangwa said: "America does not want to believe that Africa can make sovereign decisions about its resources. They want to control those resources by putting puppets in government and get them for free.

"What happens in the end is that they are expecting to have supper of African resources. We have already finished breakfast with the Chinese, the Indians and we are not going to stop and wait for America."

Mutsvangwa said the US was a greedy country which developed by capitalising on developing countries such as Zimbabwe.

"Americans want to have a free ride on African resources; they do not want to buy them on the market like the Chinese and the Indians. They want to put a puppet in Zimbabwe and then come and negotiate with a puppet so that they get freebies.

"That is not going to happen. That Africa is gone and that's why people are drifting away to the Brics, it's because of the American attitude," he said.

"We hope that the people of Zimbabwe will remain peaceful. It has been peaceful to date. We also hope that the political actors will act in a responsible manner and use the Constitution given avenues to address any given grievances they may have."

He described the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba as a fair judge.

"Judges are fair, that's how we test the strength of your institution. That is the best way to go and as Zanu-PF our President is a lawyer who abides by the decisions that come from the courts," he said.

CCC has rejected the election results vowing to pursue a vigorous course of action in protest against the presidential results announced by Zec.

Meanwhile, the government has registered its displeasure with the Sadc report with the Foreign Affairs acting minister Amon Murwira saying the report deviated from Sadc guidelines.

"Sadc's mission is to foster peace and security as the prerequisite for regional integration and development to achieve a common future. However, we are disturbed by some aspects of the SEOM report which deviate from the spirit, intent and mandate of the Sadc Observer Mission as outlined in the Sadc Guidelines which Zimbabwe has fully domesticated."

Murwira added: "We believe SEOM, as our institution, had all avenues open to interrogate, verify and validate information before it is published, in line with Sadc cherished values and principles of transparency, impartiality and non-partisanship.

"Unfortunately, in some areas cited in the report this did not happen resulting in the views of a partisan nature being presented in the preliminary report as facts."