Mnangagwa victory good enough to keep him on his toes for the next five years

He goes on: “It’s a result for ZANU-PF alone, and the party had better read it correctly. The party need not be detained or distracted by the Chamisa factor, except in so far as what this means for Zimbabwe’s long-suffering, angry and frustrated yuppie voter whose forgiving protest must be well heeded.

“Forgiving because the youth vote was both a statement of protest, and a statement of affirmation and continued support for ZANU-PF, all given in spite of begriming difficulties so long suffered. In fact, support for ZANU-PF and ED far outweighed censure for both, which is how Chamisa suffered an upset in urban areas, traditionally well known for their youth bulge and anti-establishment sentiment.

“And Harare — the yuppie capital — was an unremitting disaster for Chamisa. Which makes it a huge burden for ED in the governing five years ahead. Chamisa’s fate was not decided by the rural vote, important though this was to the ZANU-PF winning calculus. It was sealed in the more than 200 000 votes denied him in Harare, much of which came from the youths. In fact Chamisa did relatively well in rural areas, when one reads his figures against MDC’s polling history.

“And the message to ZANU-PF is very clear: we are unhappy; do something for us and very fast.  But you remain our home. The message to ED is equally clear: we believe in your vision and plans, but hasten their implementation so we see a difference in the next five years! Come to think of it, seven months was too short for ED to have turned things around. But it was long enough to define and show his vision, show the way. He did and the youth liked it, which is why they gave him support which his predecessor never commanded in the 37 years he was at the helm.”

Mnangagwa seems to be aware of the mammoth task before him.

He told Southern African Development Community leaders in Windhoek yesterday: “I am determined to draw inspiration from the collective hopes and dreams of our people. Your voices have been heard and I will work tirelessly as a servant leader to improve the quality of life for all Zimbabweans.”

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