News of the Mwenezi East parliamentary by-election won by Zanu PF’s Omar Joosbi makes frightening reading to pro-democracy and opposition forces.
By Pardon Maguta,Our Reader
The fact that the combined votes of the two opposition candidates could not reach a four-figure digit is bad news for the opposition parties with a few months remaining before the 2018 elections.
The Zanu PF candidate garnered 18 700 votes, the usual suspect, National Constitution Assembly, through its candidate Welcome Masuku, 482, FCZ candidate Turner Muhango tallied 386, while 652 votes were rejected. What a shame for opposition politics!
People may argue that such results were possible because “big” opposition didn’t participate in that by-election. But all the same Zanu PF won and won heavily. That is bad.
What is frightening is the margin of defeat the “little” opposition parties suffered at the hands of Zanu PF in the Mwenezi by-election. Such wide margins are a bad omen for all opposition parties.
It is clear Zanu PF still has a huge following in rural areas. To dismantle Zanu PF hegemony in rural areas, opposition parties need to work extra hard. They have to be very visible in rural areas now. Start campaigning and keep campaigning well until the 2018 polls.
They must start serious campaigns in rural areas. There is need to push from all fronts. If the rural electorate is left out by opposition parties, then President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF will definitely cruise to an unstoppable victory in 2018.
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The Mwenezi East by-election results are a rude awakening for all opposition parties, those which participated and which didn’t. You cannot ignore scrutinising such negative results.
The big question is: Who did “big” party members and supporters vote for in the Mwenezi East by-election? For me, it’s likely they voted for Zanu PF given the loss by a wide margin the “small” parties suffered.
Opposition parties risk being buried in the 2018 polls if they continue behaving like the proverbial ostrich, burying their heads in the sand ignoring the danger confronting them.
Opposition parties must carefully study the by-election outcome. Look at what the dictatorship and its candidate did to sweep all the votes. Come out with plans to stop the Zanu PF rigging machine come 2018.
Opposition parties cannot afford to relax in view of such a disastrous performance by some of its members.
The other option is for opposition parties to quickly craft their coalition and prepare to test the electoral playing field and their tactics in the event of any other by-election before the swim-or-sink 2018 general elections.
Zanu PF is already testing its campaign tools and strategies for the 2018 elections, while opposition parties waste time time quarreling over who will lead the grand coalition.
After the Mwenezi East by-election catastrophe, all opposition parties have to wake up from their slumber.
