Zimbabwe: ZAPU woes persists
By Nyasha Chingono – Woes continue to stalk the revived Dumiso Dabengwa led Zapu after a handful of villagers attended the part’s rally in Tsholotsho South over the weekend.
As the party is trying to rejuvenate itself ahead of the watershed elections next year, uncertainty seems to be what is taking place in the camp of the former Joshua Nkomo led party.
Over the weekend the party had to lay the blame on Zanu PF after a poor attendance of a paltry less than hundred people for the rally that was addressed by the party president Dabengwa.
“The food aid was supposed to be disbursed yesterday (Friday), but the food program only began today (Saturday) to deliberately counter our plans seeing our posters had indicated that our rally is today,” Kabo Ndlovu the party’s treasurer in Tsholotsho said.
He said it was not the first time as Zanu PF used the same tactic in August at a rally in Nkayi when the former ruling party allegedly chose to lend a helping hand to hunger stricken villagers on the very day Zapu had a rally.
Ndlovu said that Zanu PF had no chance of winning a seat in the district hence the move to suppress Zapu’s efforts. “People here do not want Zanu PF.Jonathan Moyo won in 2008 because he was an independent candidate, but if he is going to contest as a Zanu PF candidate, I swear he will lose.
To fix Zanu PF, the villagers had to vote for a bedridden MDC councillor candidate who later died a month after being sworn in,” Ndlovu said.
It was a sorry sight upon the party President Ndumiso Dabengwa’s arrival to be received by few women chanting his praise and that of the late vice President Joshua Nkomo who was the founder of the party. In response to the poorly attended rally Dabengwa said the party does not pride itself in numbers now, but are numbers would only be important come election time.
“The next elections are important for Zapu. We have to win because we lost out to Zanu PF in 1980 and this is our chance to get into power.”
As has become part of the party’s fund raising scheme, Dabengwa pleaded with the poor villagers to pay their subscriptions of $US20 in order to get a party card. “We are asking you to pay your $US20 for subscriptions because we do not have resources like transport. As the executive,” said the former Home Affairs minister.
