Categories: Stories

Mnangagwa has totally changed the ball game in Zimbabwe elections

Apart from the bomb blast at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on 23 June, one can hardly believe that Zimbabwe is heading for crucial elections in 26 days.

Violence that has marked previous elections is totally absent. There are no reports of people being force-marched to rallies. No reports of rallies being cancelled at the last minute by the police. No harassment of opposition leaders.

Mnangagwa has totally changed the ball game and has left the opposition and the media in a quandary.

Despite the massive financial resources at his disposal, his rallies have been linked to projects meant either to improve people’s lives or create jobs.

He has rarely denounced any of the opposition leaders except through his slogan “pasi ne mhandu”.

Mnangagwa has refused to be confrontational opting instead to carry on business as usual, putting work first and politics later.

It is as if there are no elections pending at all, just an endorsement of his administration so that he can embark on reviving the economy.

There is, however, hyperactivity on the social media.

Jonathan Moyo, one of Mnangagwa’s biggest rivals, is on overdrive. He has even come up with a time table on how he will put up a thread on why he blames Mnangagwa for Gukurahundi and not Mugabe.

He will disclose who bombed the Daily News more than a decade ago.

He is planning to disclose who abducted and murdered Itai Dzamara. (We thought he was just missing).

And of course he will also refute that Chamisa did not meet Mugabe in Dubai.

All this is supposed to discredit Mnangagwa and work in Chamisa’s favour.

Jonathan Moyo’s open support for Chamisa, who is also backed by Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao, has raised a lot of questions?

Is this simply to get rid of Mnangagwa or there is more to it?

There have always been whispers that Chamisa is a ZANU-PF project?

Could this be true?  Which ZANU-PF?

Even if he is not, what does this say of Chamisa as a leader?

Is he so desperate that he is prepared to go into bed with anyone as long as he wins, even if this means going into bed with the arch-enemy of his supporters?

Time is ticking. Only one thing is certain.

This year’s elections will be quite decisive.

There is going to be an outright winner and no run off.

People will be shocked.

(636 VIEWS)

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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