OPPOSITION parties have taken a jibe at the ruling Zanu PF and State media for recycling a 2014 Afro-barometer survey that claimed the majority of citizens approve of President Robert Mugabe’s leadership.
BY OBEY MANAYITI/RICHARD CHIDZA
The report was done by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) on behalf of Afrobarometer and the results made public in November 2014.
MPOI senior researcher, Stephen Ndoma yesterday confirmed it was an old report.
“The last report that we did for Afrobarometer was in November 2014 and since then we have done nothing. We are not sure when we will do the next one,” he said.
NewsDay heard that State media could have picked up on a discussion of the report’s findings at the launch of a book called Mugabeism written by Sabelo Gatsheni-Ndlovu.
The book was launched in Cape Town, South Africa just before Mugabe’s 92nd birthday celebrations last month.
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“At the book launch, the findings of the report came under discussion and Afro-barometer, as well as MPOI, were made aware that there was a danger that the media could pick it up as news and it has just happened.
“The launch involved MPOI technical partner the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation,” a source told NewsDay on condition of anonymity.
MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu described the regurgitation as a desperate measure to divert attention from the factious and ruinous Zanu PF that has overseen the demise of the country’s economy.
“The Zanu PF regime is getting really desperate. It boggles the mind why they would like to recycle an old Afro-barometer survey report that was released in 2014,”he said. “Zanu PF is now a shell; a collapsing political edifice being ripped apart by mindless and endless factionalism. Why The Herald newspaper decided to run such an old and tired story is unbelievable.”
Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe spokesperson, Pishai Muchauraya weighed in, saying the level of desperation exhibited by Zanu PF “is worrisome”.
“It is outdated stuff by desperate Zanu PF and State media spin-doctors, who are trying to divert from real issues obtaining on the ground. It’s now getting from wrong speeches, wrong trips and now wrong-barometers,” he said.
“It is a chaotic establishment. I think we cannot go into the past to defeat Mugabe. We know they might try to say he is topping, but we have our own formula of defeating and deflating Mugabe anytime now.”
MDC spokesperson, Kurauone Chihwayi said instead of recycling old material, the Zanu PF government should account for the lost $15 billion from diamond revenue.
“The 2014 survey, being republished, is a very stale product that is unlikely to assist Mugabe given the fragmentation of his party Zanu PF and, theft of $15 billion diamonds and wasteful Far East trips,” he said.
