The MDC campaign trail- what they are saying

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, which has declared that the coming election will be illegitimate no matter who wins, has embarked on an intensive campaign in Mashonaland West where it is emphasising that the party is winning this year’s elections and will form the next government.

“Like the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the writing is bold and clear on the Zimbabwean political wall that the demise of ZANU-PF is nigh.

“This true and stubborn fact cannot be denied even by the most ardent admirer. The people of Zimbabwe have had enough of unfulfilled promises, torture, rape, violence and flagrant human rights abuses,” the party says.

Here are its views in its own words:

MDC assured of victory – President Tsvangirai

Chegutu – President Tsvangirai today continued with his well-attended star rallies and was at Neuso Business Centre in Mhondoro, Chegutu West, Mashonaland West province.

Addressing thousands of party supporters, the President said the MDC was assured victory in the coming elections and its agenda will be to restore good governance and the rule of law.

“The incoming MDC government will deal with the culture of impunity,” he said.

“The people should be given freedom of association and choice. Although the MDC is assured of victory it was against a peaceful but a rigged election,” said President Tsvangirai.

This was in reference to evidence showing that Zanu PF is trying to rig the next elections through an Israeli spy company, Nikuv and inflating figures of eligible special and postal voting voters.

“Everyone at the moment is craving for change and the time is now,” he said.

He assured the people that the next MDC government key issues that are vibrant and through the promotion of direct foreign investment will change the people lives for the better.

“The MDC government will not repossess land but we will encourage maximum utilisation that will see the creation of more jobs in the country,” said President Tsvangirai.

Turning to the welfare of the people in rural areas, the President said as the next President of Zimbabwe he intended transform them by introducing viable economic agriculture like drip irrigation. Drip irrigation, which was introduced to Zimbabwe by President Tsvangirai last year, has turned to be a success in dry communities such as Buhera, Masvingo and Matabeleland region.

“The MDC has a national housing programme that will see all those in rural communities, mines, farms and even urban areas having better shelter,” said the President.

“There is need to expand on infrastructure development in areas such as more electricity generation and other infrastructure such as roads and the railway network, which I said will create more employment,” said the President.

He pledged that funding for these projects will come from the country’s natural resources such as diamonds, which are currently being looted by a few individuals in Zanu PF.

On social service, the President said the MDC will revitalise the social welfare department that will cater for the elderly and the disabled while the on education the MDC will introduce free education for all in primary school and on health there will be free access to health for the terminal ill while at rural clinics patients including pregnant women will receive free medical treatment.

President Tsvangirai’s message dovetails with the MDC 2013 elections manifesto, which among other issues has a vision for creating a modern, health, happy, functional, democratic, fair and prosperous society that takes pride in leaving no one behind.

He said through these policies, Zimbabwe will once again be part of the international community after years of isolation as it will promote regional and international integration.

On corruption, the President said the next MDC government will not tolerate any form of corruption unlike the deep rooted corruption in Zanu PF which has resulted in the suffering of many Zimbabweans as proceeds from the country resources was benefitting only a few individuals in Zanu PF.

Turning back to elections, President Tsvangirai said Zanu PF’s Robert Mugabe’s age was now an election issue and his insincerity in not implementing agreed key reforms had shown how dishonest he was.

“However, when we joined the inclusive government in 2008, it was because we wanted to people’s lives after Zanu PF had mismanaged ruined the economy,” he said.

President at the rally was the MDC Secretary General, Minister Tendai Biti who said he was privileged to accompany President Tsvangirai to Chegutu East on his last journey to victory and on his way to becoming the next President of Zimbabwe.

“The MDC has an envisaged plan of action in place to improve the lives of the people of Zimbabwe. The MDC through its tenure in the inclusive government has shown that it has policies with the people at heart,” he said.

Castigating Zanu PF’s indigenisation policy as elitist and only meant to benefit a few, Minister Biti urged the people to vote for the MDC-T and said this assured the people of Zimbabwe that the period of 2007/8 when over 4 000 people died of cholera due to the collapse of the economy characterised by the breakdown of social services, should never be repeated.

Zanu PF in defeat imminent: presses panic button

Like the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the writing is bold and clear on the Zimbabwean political wall that the demise of Zanu PF is nigh.

This true and stubborn fact cannot be denied even by the most ardent admirer. The people of Zimbabwe have had enough of unfulfilled promises, torture, rape, violence and flagrant human rights abuses.

They have had enough of poverty, deprivation and economic segregation. They have had enough of watching and playing lip-service while their hopes and aspirations continue to be trampled upon by a party that has no clue of what people want and above all has no vision to take Zimbabwe forward.

Zimbabwe has been in an election mode since 2000 and the people have had no break of abuse from Zanu PF.

However, realising that come July 31 2013 Zanu PF will be relegated to the confines of opposition politics in Zimbabwe, the party has entered into its natural default setting on violence, intimidation and more violence.

We saw this in 2008 following 29 March defeat where upon staring defeat in the eye, Zanu PF resorted to violence, murdering people such as Tonderai Ndira, Better Chokururama and hundreds of others.

It is a fact that Zanu PF has employed violence as a tool of political arbitration since its formation in 1963. It has used violence against its own members and has also unleashed state orchestrated violence such as Gukurahundi and other post independence heinous atrocities.

As the political temperatures rise and the demise more imminent, the MDC is concerned with reports of resurgence of violence particularly in the Mashonaland areas of Shamva, Mutoko and Murewa. True to their nature, some aspiring Zanu PF MPs such as Edgar Chidavanenzi, who has a three year conviction for stock theft, has set-up bases in Mazowe North.

On Wednesday 10 July the MDC-T aspiring MP for Mbare, Gift Chimanikire and nine supporters were attacked by the Zanu PF aligned Chipangano group while pasting posters in Mbare. On the same day, the MDC-T aspiring MP for Budiriro, Costa Machingauta was arrested while he had gone to report a case of assault where MDC activists pasting posters were also attacked. The MDC also finds the duplicity of the police in all these cases is also appalling.

It is apparent that Zanu PF is not capable of winning free and fair elections and has resorted to archaic political manoeuvres of violence and intimidation. The resurgence of violence is clear that the statements by the Zanu PF secretary Robert Mugabe calling for a peaceful election were empty rhetoric meant to hoodwink the electorate into believing that the party had rid its old ways but alas it has not.

The resurgence of violence justifies the MDC and SADC’s calls for reforms to create a conducive election for a credible, legitimate and free election. The MDC has since its formation called for media, security sector, electoral and legal reforms to ensure that an election is unfettered.

We call upon all stakeholders to ensure that these acts of violence and nipped in the bud to enable the people to Zimbabwe to exercise their democratic right of voting Zanu PF out on the 31st of July 2013. We call on observers and JOMIC to visit these places to for them to get an appreciation of why the MDC has been calling for reforms before elections.

With or without violence, come rain come thunder, the people of Zimbabwe are more than determined to vote and take this country forward. They are determined to vote for a party that has sound policies that will uplift their lives from the abyss of poverty and uncertainty. They are determined to vote for a government that guarantees them dignity, jobs, social service delivery and a transformation of their lives. Come July 31, the people of Zimbabwe will vote for change.

MDC’s plan for providing decent and affordable housing for all

On Sunday 7 July 2013 President Morgan Tsvangirai launched the party’s Manifesto at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera under the theme; “A New Zimbabwe-The Time is now”.

The record bumper crowd that attended the launch demonstrated beyond doubt that indeed Zimbabweans are geared for change. The Manifesto lays out the party’s blueprint for building a modern, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe.

The establishment of a democratic governance framework that guarantees economic growth and social services delivery undergirds the party’s plan for getting Zimbabwe to work again.

The provision of decent and affordable housing to citizens is one of the major deliverables that an MDC government will focus on in the first five years.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a 1.3 million-unit backlog in housing and this has resulted in citizens living in overcrowded conditions where they have no access to clean water, electricity and sanitary facilities.

Because of the absence of meaningful investment in public housing over the past three decades of Zanu PF rule, the housing market has been dominated by private housing, which is way beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans.

Pressure on private housing has also pushed up charges for rented units, forcing many urban dwellers to spend more than half of earnings on rentals, leaving them very little for savings and investment.

Another problem is that 33 years of Zanu PF rule have failed to eliminate the dual enclave nature of the Zimbabwean economy where rural areas are largely poor and isolated from functional infrastructure and social services, including decent housing. Zanu PF did not invest in rural transformation and as a result a majority of Zimbabwean citizens in rural areas live in absolute poverty.

The MDC has a plan to uplift the conditions of living for citizens in rural areas and the provision of decent housing is going to be a major target of our government.

In line with oursocial democratic values we fought for the inclusion of shelter as a basic right of citizens in the new constitution. An MDC government will therefore allocate public resources to the provision of housing for both rural and urban citizens.

In line with our plan to create 1 million jobs in the first five years, we will invest massively in public works targeted at infrastructure development and the provision of decent and affordable housing for both rural and urban dwellers.

The MDC has a comprehensive plan to ensure private sector participation in the provision of housing. We realise that most families’ dreams of owing their own homes have not been realized because of absence of credit facilities and an MDC government will expand access to credit for home ownership by partnering with the private sector in developing innovative approaches to providing both public and private housing for the needy.

An MDC government will also invest in an urban renewal programme that will target renovation of housing quarters in areas like Matapi hostels in Mbare and Makokoba in Bulawayo.

We will obligate 2 million hectares of State and national land to the provision of housing. In line with our firm belief in a devolved state we will create an enabling framework for provincial and district councils to devise solutions to housing challenges that affect their specific localities.

Under an MDC government every Zimbabwean citizen will have access to decent and affordable housing.

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