Zanu PF has become very brazen in its vote buying ahead of the Nkulumane by-election with some residents receiving all manner of trinkets in the run up to December 20 poll.
The Nkulumane parliamentary seat became vacant following the death of MP Desire Moyo in a road traffic accident on October 10.
A field of nine candidates from Zanu PF, Citizen Coalition for Change and Zapu, among other political parties, as well as independents are in the contest for supremacy in a city that has consistently rejected the ruling party for over two decades.
Zanu PF was humbled by the then united CCC in the 2023 harmonised elections before Sengezo Tshabangu emerged out of the woods to cause mayhem in the opposition.
Thanks to Tshabangu’s shenanigans, CCC has since splintered and no longer has any capacity to challenge Zanu PF in an election.
The self-imposed secretary general has worked over time to ensure that the opposition has no strength to challenge the ruling party in whatever form and very few are expecting anything good to come out of the Nkulumane by-election.
However, Zanu PF is not leaving anything to chance and has deployed in full force to ensure a resounding victory in Nkulumane.
The ruling party is throwing thousands of dollars into the campaign as indicated at the weekend where controversial businessman, Paul Tungwarara, who is also President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s advisor, announced the setting up of a US$100 000 revolving fund for the constituency.
The constituency was also promised 30 tonnes of food aid, seed packs, 18 boreholes, repaired transformers and WiFi kits.
Tungwarara arrived at the dusty venue for the rally in a helicopter as if to demonstrate the extent of the gulf between the Zanu PF elite and the poor in Nkulumane.
Youth Affairs minister Tinotenda Machakaire told the rally that the leadership in Harare was “eating” alone and it was time that Nkulumane residents joined the feast.
The throwing around of money at that event signified many things that should not be lost to the voter on December 20.
It was an admission that most people in Nkulumane have been reduced to charity cases because of misgovernance and that the country’s leadership is aware of their predicament, but is unwilling to act unless its election time.
Machakaire’s statement was a serious indictment on a Zanu PF party that has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.
Zanu PF rule has impoverished the majority of the population and enriched a few who see no problem in throwing crumbs to the rest of the population while living large. They no longer have any shame.