Calls for a coalition of opposition parties against President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF continue to gather momentum, with various platforms being used to push for the anti-Mugabe alliance.
Source: Campaign to amplify calls for grand coalition – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 22, 2017
BY Staff reporter
The Zimbabwe Yadzoka/Mayibuye iZimbabwe campaign last Thursday hosted a collaborative platform in Mutare, where attendees reiterated the need for a coalition of opposition political parties.
The event was attended by supporters of various opposition parties, who all concurred that unity among opposition parties was key to deposing Mugabe and Zanu PF from power.
Zimbabwe Yadzoka/Mayibuye iZimbabwe national coordinator, Itai Machakaire, told attendees at the event that democratic change in Zimbabwe required unity. “That is why we are preaching the gospel of unity. We might be coming from different political parties, but at the end of the day, we face the same challenges and we have one common enemy.
“So let us ensure that we all play a part in pushing for a coalition. As we go back to our different parties, let us make sure that we continue to preach the gospel of unity,” he said.
One such concept has been that of collaborative platforms, usually referred to as nhimbes, which bring communities together in activities such as farming.
The Zimbabwe Yadzoka/Mayibuye iZimbabwe campaign has taken the message of a coalition to rural communities and is capitalising on these collaborative platforms, which are bringing voters together.
Formed in August 2016, Zimbabwe Yadzoka/Mayibuye iZimbabwe aims to mobilise the rural populace to vote for democratic change and remove Zanu PF from power.
Zimbabwe Yadzoka/Mayibuye iZimbabwe leader, Victor Chimhutu, said the rural people play a critical role in the country’s electoral processes, hence, the need to reach out to them ahead of the 2018 polls.
Chimhutu said opposition unity was achievable if ordinary voters are educated on the significance of a united front against the ruling party. This, he says, would in turn ensure that opposition supporters push their principals to unite against Mugabe.
An elderly Mutare resident, Theresa Fundira, said a divided opposition would only work to Zanu PF’s advantage.
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