via Brace for fresh polls: MDC-T – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 31, 2013
THE MDC-T has urged Zimbabweans to brace for fresh elections “to be held soon”, claiming that it had become clear Zanu PF has failed to stop the economic meltdown gripping the country.
Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora this week told NewsDay that his party had resolved to prepare to take over power from Zanu PF after fresh elections following its defeat in the July 31 polls.
“As a party, next year, we will restrategise, regroup in preparation for elections at any time,” Mwonzora said.
“Zimbabweans have seen that the promises made by Zanu PF were false. Whereas it promised jobs, people are actually losing jobs, companies are closing, banks don’t have money, the economic welfare of the Zimbabwean has worsened. As a party, we are sticking to our founding values as stated at the People’s Working Convention in September 1999 — that is freedom, justice and equality.”
However, Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa rubbished the claims, describing the MDC-T as “daydreaming”.
“They should stop daydreaming about that. We are having the next elections in 2018,” Mutasa said.
“As for the economy, is it their economy? Are they the fathers of the economy? We (Zanu PF) will manage.”
Although the MDC-T has been rocked by internal squabbles amid calls by other party members for its leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down following three successive defeats to Zanu PF’s President Robert Mugabe, the party maintained that fresh polls were imminent.
“MDC has weathered the storm of Zanu PF-induced rebellion among the ranks of the party. The Zanu PF government has dismally failed and will dismally fail next year,” Mwonzora said.
He said the MDC-T would continue holding meetings to sharpen its policies as a “government in waiting”.
“We are going to have an all-stakeholders’ meeting and not just that, but many more other meetings as fresh national elections to address the question of the legitimacy of the current government. We will have lots of programmes to sharpen our policies as we prepare to take over power soon because given the imminent collapse of the economy we will have to have elections to address the crisis of legitimacy which has caused the situation Zimbabweans find themselves in,” the MDC-T spokesperson said.
“We have a historical obligation to liberate Zimbabweans from the
socio-economic quagmire that they find themselves in.”
Mwonzora’s claim came as Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn leader and former Finance minister Simba Makoni yesterday also predicted a tough 2014 with the economic woes set to worsen.
“I don’t see anything in ZimAsset (Zanu PF’s economic blueprint) that responds to the root cause of the economic problems that the country is facing,” Makoni said.
“As a result, I expect the economy to be worse than this year. As Zimbabweans, we should brace ourselves for more difficult times.”
In a separate interview, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga secretary-general of the Welshman Ncube-led MDC, said her party would next year concentrate on a rebuilding exercise.
“As a party which has come out of the elections, we will focus on rebuilding the party,” she said.
“There is no doubt there is a whole lot of things which we need to do. We have to go back and re-engage the communities even on what was our campaign theme, the devolution of power, talking about making devolution work.”
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said it was clear that Zanu PF was not committed to the implementation of devolution of power which was now enshrined in the new Constitution.
COMMENTS
I am joining this call from MDC T , how it will happen to take over from ZANU PF as they will not easily hand over power its a wait and see situation , i wish they should have surrendered already before we assist MDC T to act and take over , if its a bush style of taking over then i am only worried about my beloved kids , personally i go for anything , people like Mutasa talks as if they own economy of Zimbabwe , he just talks his own way , it brings pain to me , we had been at the bush fighting during the chimurenga war , and still we have got those skills , asesabi thina .
I cry for my beloved country! The zanu thugs have left us scrounging to make a living whilst they are endlessly looting the country! Anything that will bring back our dignity is worth supporting! Kusvika rini tichitamburs kudai sure.
there is not going to be an election any time soon. lets not lie to one another here. this is the time for political parties to stretegise for the 2018 vote. those who believe that they can cause a new election thru jambanja or out of the suffering of other zimbos are just kidding themselves.
After the the events of the last 13 years and the last three elections, anyone who thinks that ZANU PF will agree to fresh elections (free or otherwise) before 2018, would have better luck developing that into a script for Pixar or Dreamworks.
Ya, apa murikunyepa apa. I am all for change, but let’s be realistic here, this is ZANU pf we are talking about people. Unless there is more bloodshed, you can forget about ZANU agreeing to anything like that. It’s exactly how ZANU planned it with the election robbery – the poorer and more desperate people get, the more effective their ‘divide and rule’ policy becomes.
I have a big question Mr monzora are people in the diaspora going to vote ? Ichecked my name in my constituency it was there i do not know if zanu used it in the rigging process we need to a vote in the diaspora all countries do it except zimbabwe why why why.
Love them or loathe them, rigging or not rigging, ZANU PF prepared for the 2013 elections for four years. The MDC should stop talking and start the 2018 election preparations.
My advice is: Any well-organised party would start planning for 2018 right now. Identify projects for 13 to 14 year olds who will be voters in 2018. Start looking at the voter’s roll for each constituency using the 2013 winning and losing candidates. Start talking about the positives about our country with suggestions of how to improve people’s lives.
Stop dreaming and wake up to reality!
deal with your rebel councilors first
Yes! Yes! yes! Pray Zimbabwe. Pray! We pray for the Lord to bring the ‘truth’ to Zimbabwe and for Him to raise up a man after His own heart to lead this nation. No repentance! No restoration! We need national repentance!
Shut up mdc you gullible naive who foolishly rescued zanupf in 2008. You dream erections.mugabe will be long gone before your beloved 2018 erections. The economy collapse not nikuv erections will put true patriots in power. You mdc just talk no action. The melting economy is the real change of govt. I am glad of zanupf economic misrule. It ensures zanu oblivion. Not the likes of makuvise zwambila kitchen sycophants.you had 14 years. Showed little balls.
What a lot of MDC rubbish. So typical. Long on rhetoric, shallow on results. MDC had their chance over the last few years and at the last election. They blew it because all their chefs had their faces so deep in the ZPF feeding trough they could not see the reality on the ground…. No leadership, no plan, weak opposition, simply a waste of time.
MDC stop dreaming.You were taken for one big ride by ZANUPF five years ago!Remember Morgan saying he could trust and work with Mugabe.Most of the electorate have lost confidence in you.Dream on!!!!!
Brace yourselves, not for new elections but for the collapse of the economy, civil unrest and a huge crackdown on civil liberties as these thieves steal the last cent from Zimbabwe.
Day dreaming
Mwonzora should stop this nosense. He is a learned lawyer and our Zim constitution does not have any portion of going to elections because of a failed economy. Better keep quite regai vaMutasa vati its day dreaming sure. That is the way MDC lost the elections its because of pure lies.
Mwonzora, Zimbabweans are not that stupid. Remember those who can read what you say know one or two things too. Be real. What elections? Even if Mugabe dies today, what elections? You do not even know who paid for the July 31 elections and with what money and you do not even know how many people voted. Why display such stupidity when you have no power to do anything let alone elections.
Ndokunonzi kurotomoka chaiko kwaMwonzora. Munhu waLawyer asingazivi kuti kune Constitution.
AkatiEconomy ika collapsa kunoitwa maelections ibenzi rekwani iroro?
I for one am not a fool. Talk of other things.
Yu maChinja have no strategy at all. Nezuro makati muchatipa evidence dzerigging. Where is the evidence.
With leaders who reason like Monzo MDC-T will surely lose come 2018!!!