By Tarisai Machakaire
Anti-President Robert Mugabe cleric, Philip Mugadza, has said he is going to run for the Gutu South parliamentary seat in next year’s elections.
Mugadza — famed for prophesying that Mugabe would die on October 17 this year — said he was tired and becoming a “professional complainer” by making countless petitions, which were ignored.
As part of his controversial activism, he has chained himself on numerous occasions during demonstrations and has even petitioned United States of America president, Donald Trump, to intervene in Zimbabwe’s political crisis — but all in vain.
“I will be running for a parliamentary seat in 2018 for Gutu South. I know one person I am going to be contesting against is Zanu PF’s Paul Chimedza (current Gutu South legislator) and am not sure about the other political parties,” he told the Daily News.
“I thought that it is not sustainable for me to end up being a professional complainer and the change was going to be by way of participating in active politics and decision-making for the nation at mainstream level.”
He said his choice to run for the constituency had been influenced by the desire to transform his home, Chimedza village, where he grew up.
“Gutu is my home but I have spent much of my time in Harare because of the court processes and also because I wanted to launch my activism here at the heart of the nation.”
Mugadza said he was aiming to dissuade people from the constituency from pursuing partisan politics, arguing it was the reason for continued suffering among Zimbabweans.
He has started mobilising funds to promote his campaign and meet the requirements to qualify as a contesting candidate.
“What I am there to offer for my people is unity. I am going to start speaking to people who follow my political activities and tell them I am taking my activism a notch higher. I am going to have a team assisting me raise the funds.
“…after that I would need bicycles for the team which will be on the ground encouraging and mobilising people to vote.” Daily News
