Mnangagwa tells Tanzanian President he is winning next month’s elections

President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is on a two-day State visit to Tanzania yesterday told Tanzanian President John Magufuli that he is winning next month’s elections.

Twenty-three candidates are vying for the top post but Mnangagwa said here they beat Tanzania which had 42 candidates.

Mnangagwa told Magufuli that Zimbabwe and Tanzania will deepen their relations after next month’s elections.

“After the elections — which of course I am going to win — in August, we will resuscitate the Permanent Joint Commission to deal with all areas, particularly the area of cooperation,” he said.

Tanzania provided training bases for Zimbabwe’s liberation fighters and hosted senior Zimbabwe African National Union officials while they were in exile.

A poll by Afrobarometer showed Mnangagwa in the lead but not enough for an outright victory. However, 25 percent of those polled refused to express their opinions.

Mnangagwa’s biggest opponent Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance says he is going to win the elections.

If he loses, the elections will have been rigged.

Some of Chamisa’s supporters are, however, worried about his flirtation with former members of the G40 faction of ZANU-PF as well as former First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Chamisa has denied any association with the Mugabes but two kingpins of the G40 faction, Patrick Zhuwao and Jonathan Moyo, are openly campaigning for Chamisa.

The elections are due in 31 days.

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