By Tawanda Mangoma
HARARE – The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) has officially transformed into a political party and is expected to contest in harmonized elections that are to be held in 2018.
Addressing hundreds of NCA members during their Special Conference held in Harare over the weekend, NCA Chairperson Lovemore Madhuku said the move was a reaction to the betrayal which they faced after the MDC agreed with Zanu PF to write a constitution which he described as ‘bad’.
“I will not forgive the MDC for leaving Zimbabwe with a bad and undemocratic constitution. They wasted our struggle when they got the chance to deliver a people driven constitution. We are now transforming the NCA to compete for any political space and office. We are now a political party.
“Now the MDC has left us with a much bigger burden as they agreed to write a constitution which is even bad than the Lancaster House Constitution. How will we explain all this to an 18 year old child that the NCA want to write a people driven constitution when he voted in a referendum in which he presumed was voting for a new and people driven constitution?,” said Madhuku.
Madhuku went on to lambast former COPAC Co-Chairs Douglas Mwonzora and Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana for failing to secure parliamentary seats in the just ended election.
“Mangwana and Mwonzora paid their price for tempering with people’s writing and forcing them to vote YES for a bad document. Mangwana even failed to secure victory during Zanu PF’s primary elections. They hoodwinked the people of Zimbabwe to endose a document that they don’t even understand themselves. Look at what happened on the issue of Mayors, Mwonzora approached the wrong court and that shows he doesn’t understand his product,” said Madhuku.
NCA National Task force member Takura Zhangazha said their party is going to undertake an electoral congress.
“We are going to undertake our electoral congress scheduled on of before 31st of March 2014. We have started now and recruitment of party members has begun and a membership cards will be accessed for just paying a dollar,” said Zhangazha.
The task force which comprises Blessing Vava, Clever Bere, Terence Chimhavi and Maddock Chivasa would embark on overseeing the building of structures before the congress.
Some interested observers who attended the congress include MDC99 President Job Sikhala and representatives from the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union and Emmanuel Chiroto a former MDC-T councilor.
