via Tsvangirai is Zanu PF: Saviour Kasukuwere – NewsDay Zimbabwe 28 March 2015 by Moses Matenga/Blessed Mhlanga
DOTITO, Mt Darwin — Zanu PF national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday said opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was a “Zanu PF political commissar” who had done well in campaigning for the ruling party and ensure that they won elections.
Speaking to journalists during the Mt Darwin West by-elections, Kasukuwere said Tsvangirai, who was in the Zanu PF structures in Bindura during his days at Trojan Mine, has shown his undying love for Zanu PF by donating 14 seats to the party.
“He is our commissar. He has been since his days in Bindura and now he did exactly what commissars do. That is what PCs do. He gave us 21 (14) seats recently and we now want to readmit him in the party,” Kasukuwere said.
Tsvangirai’s party wrote to Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda recently asking him to recall 21 renegade MPs who jumped ship and joined Tendai Biti’s MDC Renewal Team.
However, after they were fired from Parliament, the MDC-T said it would not take part in the by-elections before electoral reforms, creating ground for President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF to bag all the contested 14 seats.
Seven of the 21 seats were held under Proportional Representation.
The former Premier’s decision attracted a barrage of criticism, with analysts saying he should not have caused the recall of the MPs if he was prepared not to contest the seats as this was tantamount to donating the seats to Zanu PF, which already has a two-third majority in Parliament.
Kasukuwere said Zanu PF had no dog in the MDC-T’s internal squabbles and Tsvangirai had no one to blame, but himself for the loss of the seats.
“Betrayals are in their DNA. They betrayed us and the country, now they are betraying themselves. Why turnaround and say you can’t participate and why make a U-turn? These are confused people,” he said in reference to the MDC-T’s threat to boycott the by-elections.
Observers have accused Zanu PF of causing the ouster of the MPs since the motion to have them recalled was moved by Zanu PF Buhera West MP Oliver Mandipaka.
“They never stood for anything. Their departure will not be painful. They kicked themselves out of Parliament. It is not Zanu PF that wrote the letter to Parliament. In our case, we wrote to Parliament on Didymus Mutasa and Temba Mliswa and not about MDC,” Kasukuwere said.
“We have always said the MDC was like a cold, it comes and goes. It was not a political party, but a movement created by whites to safeguard land. They never stood for anything.”
Kasukuwere said Zanu PF would win all the seats even if either of the MDCs decided to participate.
He said Zanu PF would reclaim all lost ground in urban areas.
Mashonaland Central provincial elections officer Thenjiwe Mkandla said by mid-day, 9 904 people had voted in Mt Darwin.
There were 1 197 assisted voters, while 561 were turned away.
Generally, the elections were marred by a poor turnout.
In Chirumanzu-Zibagwe, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was the MP for area before his appointment to the presidency, said he was sure his wife, Auxillia, would win in the one-party horse race after main opposition parties pulled out.
He said he would discuss with Auxillia on their political moves come 2018 when both Parliament and the Executive was dissolved.
Speaking after casting his vote at Sherwood Primary School, Mnangagwa said: “In 2018, we are going to be dissolved both Parliament and the Executive. Then we will have to seek a fresh mandate. We will have to sit down with my wife and discuss who goes where.”
Auxillia, who is also a Zanu PF politburo member, said she would not hesitate to ask tough questions to her husband, who is the leader of government business in the National Assembly as she represented the people of her constituency.
Results of the two by-elections are expected to be announced today.
In Chirumanzu-Zibagwe, Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume did not have polling agents at all stations.
The National Constitutional Assembly, led by Lovemore Madhuku, also had no agents at any of the polling stations visited by NewsDay when voting started. No cases of violence were recorded in the two constituencies.
COMMENTS
Tsvangirai idofo, period.
TSVANGIRAI idofo and everyone who thinks otherwise has the Zanu puff demon possessing him.
That’s politics .Politicions speaks to the gallery and people like you Mvelase believe them.How do you describe Morgan as dofo? You can go back to the constitution pertaining parliamentary sitting.There you can get some more information not what is in your head.By crossing floor, that is from one political party to another, while serving as an elected MP,you automatically expel yourself.Actually it is Biti who failed to read a simple statute.Morgan had decided to leave the renewal team alone but the boys kept denigrating him everywhere.So Morgan applied the law, not emotions, and recalled them.Whoever doesn’t understand the ethics in this issue is putting emotions not reasoning.
The problem with Zimbabweans is that when they think, they think no one surpasses that whereas their ideas are just ordinary.
Saviour is doing the job.As a commissar you try to confuse the opposition,It is only true revolutionaries who stand firm calling Mugabe the worst thing to happen to Zim, not cowards who thrive on namecalling Tsvangirai
Yoyo newe rodlin ,these 21 mps they were not serving the interests of mdc t saka zvanga zvakafana to expel was the best sollution
I’ll never be confused by Zanu puff tactics. It was not for Tsvangirai to request the ouster of 21 on the basis that Mudenda had kicked out Mutasa and Mliswa from parliament and then say his party is not contsting those by-elections, what was the rationale? Opposition politicians may differ but to play into the hands of Zanu puff against each other is the dumbest thing. What is needed is a unity of purpose in dislodging this monster dictatorship of which handing parliamentary seats to Zanu puff is self-defeating. Mudenda refused to grant the ouster in 2014 and what did Tsvangirai lose that he now gains by their ejection? He can not talk of electoral reforms which he failed to use his presence in GNU to accomplish and today with wide open eyes reduces the opposition debating powers and numbers to push for those reforms. Everyone has a right to their opinion and I maintain Tsvangirai has acted dumb in this instance.
You Rodlin Mvelase, ndiwe dofo remadofo, dofo remakoko chairo, unless urikungotaurawo semunhu weZanu or weRenewal group. I can not waste time explaining why ndakuti uri zidofo, iwe zvitsvage kuti why ndadaro…nxaaa!!
Munyati wako wakangofonyoka sanaProfessor Madhuku…period!!
@Hatina thank you for saying nothing, you rather should have not wasted time writing. I don’t worship any politician so much as to be blind even when they make monumental errors. I’m my own person with an independent judgement, what is the wisdom in ousting MPs and not contesting those seats, if not increasing Zanu puff parliamentarians and giving the dictatorship a firmer grip?
You don’t think they have a firm grip already?
Wake up my friend.
The country is firmly under Bob’s thugs’ control.
What use is parly in Zim today but an irrelevant token to democracy?
And, by the way, to use such terms as those to describe a man with massive following, despite concerted attempts by ZANU, Biti, Ncube etc etc, to derail him, is to lay yourself open to ridicule at best.
I have to agree with Rodlin on this one
I dont see any issue here, the 21 recalled or is it 14 were voted into parly on an MDC-T ticket. Now that they have decided to expel themselves from the party, they should or anyone should not be worried with the action taken by the party.Common sense tells me kuty paihwinwa nema MPs I issue ye Party not munhu.Campaign inoitwa ne Party, using party resources.
Kana vachida ma constituency avo they should participate in the by-elections as Independent or mdc watever.Hazvityise izvi. Mabhau Timothy akazviita ku Mabvuku.
Time always tells. We saw in time the wisdom or otherwise of signing onto Mbeki’s GNU prematurely. Likewise the wisdom or otherwise of being herded into the trap of the 2013 elections. Let us wait and see in good time, the wisdom or otherwise of punishing the breakaway MDC MPs by giving those opposition seats away.
@Rwendo, well summed. I know these politicians read sensible online contributions but what I fail to understand is their arrogance or is it because they also read some online praise singing trash by some contributors.
The state of our nation under the rule of Zanu puff seems not to have been a lesson to some. NEVER worship politicians, put them to task and criticize their wrong moves, don’t be blind brainless followers.
Criticism, when constructive, is part of growth and healthy debate.
When it’s stridently vitriolic and directed at one person in the opposition leadership, it becomes nothing but divisive rubbish.
On the other hand, brainlessly following a leader should have no place in a society wishing to spread its wings, grow and be counted.
@Ngoto..I beg to differ with you on one or two points. The MDC derived its majority votes from people’s dislike and being tired of clueless Zanu puff and seeking an alternative to revive economy and rebuild our nation. But if MDC under Tsvangirai starts showing the Zanu puff symptoms then it becomes problematic. Way back in the 80’s when some voices started pointing to Mugabe’s incompetencies, they were called all sorts. Problem among Zimbos is they are too slow to see political rot and by the time they see reality, it is too late and they can not do anything about it.
Second point is if parly is useless in the current Zimbabwe, then why are the MDC parties wasting our time or it is just about the money for them. Surely if for 15 years Mugabe calls for elections, which he rigs with the opposition parties contesting one election after another then the entire crop of politicians we have is irrelevant. You can be fooled once but if you get fooled repeatedly, and the same way for that, there is a serious problem with you.
MDC T with its numbers could have taken advantage of the Zanu puff splits and not busy itself with ousting the 14. What everyone wants is Zanu puff out not the opposition kicking one another out.
If elections are not achieving anything, what next? We have been stuck with this question for more than 12 years. Mugabe’s death will not change anything in Zimbabwe’s system.
Unfortunately I once again agree with Rodlin! The great Winston Churchill once said the biggest argument against democracy is to spend 5 minutes talking to the average voter. It’s sad but true the average Zimbo voter has absolutely no idea what they are voting for. Until such time as Ambuya in Nembudzia understands what her X is worth you are doomed to the anals of history and will be led by buffoons!!! If they come from ZPF or MDC makes no real difference. You reap what you sow!!!
Quoting Winston Churchill in the African contest is blowing a gasket.
Africa is hundreds of years away from democracy.