President Emmerson Mnangagwa says opposition parties will never unseat Zanu PF in Zimbabwe.
Addressing thousands of people who attended the party’s by-election campaign rally in Epworth on Saturday, Mnangagwa said there are some political party leaders telling their followers that it’s possible to unseat Zanu PF like what Hakainde Hichilema’s opposition party did in Zambia a few months ago.
“Endai muudze veopposition kuti munhu arimuHarare akatanga kufamba kuenda kuChina netsoka anotanga kusvika opposition isati yapinda muState House. Go and tell them that a person walking from Harare to China will arrive faster than opposition parties trying to get to State House in Harare. It’s not going to happen,” said Mnangagwa amid applause from the crowd.
But Fadzayi Mahere, spokesperson of the Citizens Coalition for Change led by Nelson Chamisa, dismissed Mnangagwa’s remarks saying only people have the right to elect people of their choice.
Mnangagwa noted that his government is in the process of giving title deeds to thousands of people in Epworth and surrounding areas.
“We sourced funds and gave to Professor Murwira’s ministry to carry out a geo-spatial survey. We have completed the survey and will build flats. We will move those who built on roads to the flats because we cannot move someone into the open. Once you get hold of your title deed, you have security for your land. It becomes your inheritance. This will ultimately do away with land barons. So we are in this process of regularising settlements as well as issuing title deeds.”
He said the ruling party has embarked on many programs designed to transform people’s lives.
“We introduced Pfumvudza and availed seeds and fertilizers for food security. We give inputs to the people, but some are stealing. We also have a dam construction and rehabilitation programme where we are saying every village must have a borehole. Every village in three years will have a borehole running on solar. Every village will have clean water and a village garden so that we are all food secure.”
Zimbabwe is expected to hold council and parliamentary by-elections in March this year following the recall of some lawmakers and local authority leaders by the opposition MDC led by Douglas Mwonzora and the People’s Democratic Party.