Tau Tawengwa: Why Zanu PF lost the Glen View by-election
By Tau Tawengwa
In April 2018, I publicly observed that the Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces were going to be key factors in determining the outcome of the presidential results.
I also publicly noted that a certain group of charlatan politicians were doing President Mnangagwa an outright disservice by going around Harare province during the pre-election campaign period and sowing seeds of factionalism and discord as they purged the cell, branch and district structures of people they perceived as their opponents within ZANU-PF.
At the time this is what I said: “there has, however, been an ongoing silent and secretive campaign conducted by political …opportunists and saboteurs within ZANU-PF structures… as a result of this campaign of sabotage within ZANU-PF, the MDC-Alliance has deliberately packaged a political message that is intended to entice voters that have been frustrated and purged.”
Reasons for Loss
As a result of the shenanigans by those opportunists and saboteurs, ZANU-PF lost dismally in Harare province in general in 2018.
Nevertheless, I took interest in the recent by election in the Glen-View South constituency of Harare held on the 7th of September 2019.
The MDC’s Vincent Tsvangirai retained the seat after polling 3 474 votes, while ZANU PF’s Offard Muchuwe received 1 534 votes.
ZANU-PF’s poor performance in the recent by-election is evidence that the group of saboteurs and opportunists are still at work and actively doing a disservice to the party.
It is clear for all and sundry to see that the number of votes won by ZANU-PF in the recent by-election dwindled from 3 474 votes in the 2018 election to a measly 1 534 votes won on September 7.
The question on the minds of the party’s commissariat department should be why is it that the party is losing supporters in Harare province in general and in Glen View in Particular?
I list the reasons below.
- Big Man Politics
Since the 2018 pre-election campaign period, the party’s structures in Harare province have been subjected to a certain big woman, (and her group of midget enforcers) who has been trying to subject the entire province to her authoritarian and unpopular rule. This has led to the continued frustration and disgruntlement of party supports in Harare province in general and in Glen-View South in Particular.
- Land Barons
A big problem in Harare Province is the issue of land barons. Several would-be party supporters have been duped of hard-earned United States dollars by these charlatans without any reprieve. This has resulted in the continued demise of ZANU-PF support in Harare province in general and Glen-View in particular.
- Factionalism
This is directly linked to the point of “big-man politics” (in this case “big-woman politics”). Ever since Harare province was dissolved by President Mnangagwa in March 2019, a certain big-woman and her midget enforcers have set themselves up as a faction in Harare province. They go around pretending as though they have the monopoly of ZANU-PF and party politics in Harare Province in general, and in Glen-View in particular.
In that light it should be noted that those charlatans are wholly responsible for the party’s by-election loss in Glen-View South on 7 September 2019.
Recommendations
In order to create unity and harmony in Harare Province, ZANU-PF should consider doing the following:
- Bringing “The Big Man Politics” underway in Harare province to an abrupt end by reprimanding the big woman and her midget enforcers expediently.
- Ensuring that the issue of land barons (some of whom are currently campaigning to be chairman of Harare province) is dealt with conclusively.
- Ensuring that unity and cohesion is fostered in Harare Province in general by stopping the factionalism and continued purging of cell, branch and district structures.
Tau Tawengwa is ZANU-PF Secretary for Science and Technology in Heroes District, Harare East.
