News / National
'Man of God' targets 2 million votes for Mugabe
09 Mar 2013 at 08:26hrs | Views
CONTROVERSIAL leader of Destiny for Afrika Network Reverend Obadiah Musindo says that he is targeting to garner an ambitious two million votes for President Robert Mugabe in the forthcoming elections through doling out residential stands and employment creation.
Musindo, a self-confessed Zanu-PF apologist, told NewsDay yesterday that he had established housing schemes throughout the country to benefit party supporters ahead of the watershed polls to be fought fiercely mainly by Mugabe and MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai.
"We have housing schemes in Mutare, Bindura, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Bulawayo and many parts of the country," he said. We are giving out 100 000 stands to those who champion President Mugabe's cause for total emancipation. I want to deliver two million votes to the President."
He said his housing schemes would benefit all members of the security services, party cadres who would have wooed more supporters to Zanu-PF and churches. Beneficiaries pay for the stands over five years.
"They (beneficiaries) don't pay for the land, but for its development. We are developing the stands on State land made available to us. We also buy private land using money we accrue from our other businesses and mortgage financing from friendly banks," said Musindo, who reportedly has been working with the Central Intelligence Organisation on his projects.
The projects, he said, had created thousands of jobs downstream.
The "man of the cloth" denied that his projects were tantamount to vote-buying and that similar schemes he launched years back had collapsed soon after elections.
"What is vote-buying? Is it not a fact that even when Tsvangirai is campaigning he makes promises to the electorate?" queried Musindo. "What is wrong with us giving out stands to our supporters? The people of Zimbabwe deserve decent lives and that is what we are giving them from our God-given land and resources. There is no vote-buying here. We are not electioneering. Go to Mutare, Bulawayo and see what we are doing on the ground."
Sources in Zanu-PF said Musindo was part of the Zanu-PF strategy to also woo votes from Apostolic sects. It is estimated that Zimbabwe has four million members of the sects and Zanu-PF intends to woo half of them to vote for the party and Mugabe.
"We work with churches. We are not apologetic about this," Musindo said. "We are giving out stands to churches, pastors and prophets. We want to ensure that President Mugabe wins at all cost."
Musindo, a self-confessed Zanu-PF apologist, told NewsDay yesterday that he had established housing schemes throughout the country to benefit party supporters ahead of the watershed polls to be fought fiercely mainly by Mugabe and MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai.
"We have housing schemes in Mutare, Bindura, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Bulawayo and many parts of the country," he said. We are giving out 100 000 stands to those who champion President Mugabe's cause for total emancipation. I want to deliver two million votes to the President."
He said his housing schemes would benefit all members of the security services, party cadres who would have wooed more supporters to Zanu-PF and churches. Beneficiaries pay for the stands over five years.
"They (beneficiaries) don't pay for the land, but for its development. We are developing the stands on State land made available to us. We also buy private land using money we accrue from our other businesses and mortgage financing from friendly banks," said Musindo, who reportedly has been working with the Central Intelligence Organisation on his projects.
The "man of the cloth" denied that his projects were tantamount to vote-buying and that similar schemes he launched years back had collapsed soon after elections.
"What is vote-buying? Is it not a fact that even when Tsvangirai is campaigning he makes promises to the electorate?" queried Musindo. "What is wrong with us giving out stands to our supporters? The people of Zimbabwe deserve decent lives and that is what we are giving them from our God-given land and resources. There is no vote-buying here. We are not electioneering. Go to Mutare, Bulawayo and see what we are doing on the ground."
Sources in Zanu-PF said Musindo was part of the Zanu-PF strategy to also woo votes from Apostolic sects. It is estimated that Zimbabwe has four million members of the sects and Zanu-PF intends to woo half of them to vote for the party and Mugabe.
"We work with churches. We are not apologetic about this," Musindo said. "We are giving out stands to churches, pastors and prophets. We want to ensure that President Mugabe wins at all cost."
Source - newsday
