What does Chamisa stand for?

Chamisa has also been able to mobilise support based on the fact that he’s a pastor — the citizenry trusts religious and traditional leaders more than elected ones, according to a survey by Afrobarometer — and he regularly posts Bible verses and prayer on social networks.

One post, for example, reads: “Zimbabwe shall be saved! Thank you for the great response in prayer and fasting. God is faithful!”

For some, Chamisa is a hero, poised to free Zimbabwe from the shackles of ZANU-PF.

“He stands for justice and is someone who has been fighting for people since 1996-1997 when he became a student leader. He believes in God fearing leadership. He despises corruption,” Hwende said.

“He does not believe in amassing wealth ahead of the people he is supposed to serve. He is someone who believes in placing decisions in the hands of the people and everything must be all about the people we represent.”

For political analyst Rashweat Mukundu, Chamisa’s strength lies in his consistency — and the fact that he’s resisted the trappings of a cosy life in government.

“A key characteristic about Chamisa that I noticed from the days he was a student leader is his commitment to democratic change and his loyalty to the cause, and the loyalty to those that he believes are with him along the way,” Mukundu said.

Still, will this all be enough to turn the tide?

University of Zimbabwe professor Eldred Masunungure isn’t so sure.

“Chamisa is far more electable because of his charisma, and that counts enormously,” he said. The downside, however, is that his personality tends to overshadow other abilities required for successful leadership — organisational qualities, for example.

“The CCC doesn’t have an organisational structure and constitution,” Masungurure says. He also hasn’t seen its manifesto, he adds — but in fairness, he hasn’t seen one from ZANU-PF either.

Masungurure doesn’t discount the possibility of “machination to manipulate the vote, such as rigging on the part of ZANU-PF”.

If the elections are free and fair, however, Chamisa and the CCC are in with a shot, Daily Maverick reports. That’s according to a recent poll of 2 000 voters by Elite Africa Research. It found that 47.6% of voters would support Chamisa’s presidential bid, against 38.7% for Mnangagwa; 47.7% would vote for the CCC, vs 39.6% for ZANU-PF.

That won’t, however, be good enough to avert a runoff poll. The last time that situation arose was in 2008, when Tsvangirai won 47% of the vote against Mugabe’s 43.2%. (Tsvangirai subsequently pulled out of the runoff, citing violence and the killing of his supporters; Mugabe controversially won with 85%.)

For some, including Nyikadzino, Chamisa is a contemporary Tsvangirai. Like the late opposition leader he has become the face of a people repeatedly frustrated by the failures of the ruling party, whose mismanagement of the country has run down the economy, and condemned Zimbabweans to poverty.- Financial Mail

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