Emergency of ZPF a serious threat to Zanu-PF - ZPP

The Zimbabwe Peace Project has claimed that the emergency of the former Vice President Joice Mujuru led Zimbabwe People First was a serious threat to the survival of the ruling Zanu PF.

"Apparently so threatening to Zanu-PF is the emergence of People First that this month's report tells of repeated warnings the ruling party is meting out to its membership in meetings against the "folly" of joining People First lest they be left out of distributions for food aid and input assistance," reported ZPP.

"In more pronounced instances, in Hwedza a group of suspected state agents were deployed to the area in order to monitor People First movements and progress."

ZPP reports also indicate a coming together to collaborate between Progressive
Democrats Party (PDP) and People First, with the former joining hands with the latter, something which PDP leader Tendai Biti confirmed to ZPP.

"Exorcising Mujuru's 'ghost' is proving to be seizing the ruling party as seen by the report from Manicaland where Mutare City Council management was targeted wholesale allegedly on suspicion that they are 'gamatox' remnants. ('Gamatox' are those suspected to be sympathetic to Mujuru.)" said ZPP.

"As Zanu-PF stands itself ready to fend off the People First threat, the 'traditional enemy, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) is not forgotten as relentless discrimination against its members continues amidst partisan distribution of food aid and input. Against a backdrop of hard hitting El Nino drought which has resulted in three million facing starvation and scores of livestock dying, hunger is wreaking havoc in the country. With millions of people facing starvation there is more need for diligent and equitable distribution of food aid. Sadly this is not so in a number of areas across the country."

ZPP said in order to ensure that discrimination against members of the opposition is maintained Zanu-PF leadership at local levels in a number of areas have taken to displacing and replacing gatekeepers in distributions of food aid and agricultural inputs.

"In a number of instances reported for January, opposition councillors as well as village heads who did not comply with partisan distribution of the aid were either pushed out of their positions or relieved of the distribution function of their duties. This was seen in Matabeleland, among a few other areas," reported ZPP.

"January saw a total of 208 reported politically motivated violations, a majority of which were allegedly perpetrated by Zanu-PF (82.3%). For its part, the MDC-T was also accused of perpetrating violent acts including a report from Mukarakate Village in Murehwa South, where a member of the democratic movement defected to the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) had his house set on
fire."

ZPP said violence continues to be traded from all quarters albeit with some parties being more violent than others. On this score, the political landscape remains grim.