By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Politics |
MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti has accused the ruling Zanu PF party of upping the gear on violence against the opposition due to the fear of being beaten in the upcoming 2023 elections.
Speaking during a press conference in Harare on Wednesday, Biti said President Emmerson Mnangagwa was more afraid of 2023 elections than he was during the disputed 2018 plebiscite.
He added that this was the reason why some Zanu PF supporters were deployed in Masvingo and Manicaland Provinces recently to disrupt opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s meetings.
“The party is alive, the party is irking and should president Nelson Chamisa be allowed to rally in any way in the country, there will be 200 000 people, even goats and snakes will attend that rally, that is fact.
“This party is alive, this party is breathing. What concerns us is that Zanu PF appears to be graduating from a defacto physical ban to elimination, to assassination attempts.
“So they are upping the gear, upping the ante because they are more afraid of 2023 than they are more afraid of 2018,” Biti said.
During his village tour in Masvingo and Manicaland the past two weeks, Chamisa was physically attacked by alleged Zanu PF supporters, live bullets were also shot at one of his vehicles in Mutare. The perpetrators have not been arrested.
Biti urged the security officials to do their work professionally as defined by the constitution.
“So we urge state security agents to do the job they are asked to do in terms of Section 205-6 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which is to protect citizens, protect lives, protect lives of ordinary men and women, not the interests of a narrow elite located in a political party.
“We are also aware that the attacks on our leader and the attacks on our party are not unique to us.
“There are massive attacks on the people of Zimbabwe, the arrests that I have spoken of are also arrests that are taking place amongst ordinary citizens.
“As I am talking to you right now Makomborero Haruzivishe has been languishing at Chikurubi Maximum prison for months,” he said.
Chamisa is on a countrywide tour, mobilising supporters ahead of the 2023 elections. The opposition party is targeting six million voters.
Biti also slammed rampant corruption orchestrated by officials in Mnangagwa’s administration.
“These people are stealing left, right and centre, contracts are being awarded that run into millions and millions of dollars without going to tender.
“Those contracts are being inflated, Zimbabwe now belongs to a few individuals, a few cartels, that are owning Zimbabwe,” he said.
Despite facing the setbacks from Zanu PF, Biti said “our president will continue with his meetings across the length and breadth of the country.
“We have also deployed other leaders, senior leaders of the party to provinces as well so you will see massive activities of our party in the rural areas because we cannot sit and fold our hands as the crisis burns.
“And we can’t give Zanu PF a blank cheque to insult and assault the people of Zimbabwe,” Biti added. Nehanda Radio
Lies lies lies
There is nothing else to do except to talk about elections, even if the elections are 2 years from now. Political parties must start campaigning maybe 3 months from election day, not 2 years.