Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-Themba Mliswa’s recent by-election win in Norton has heightened the expectation that a grand coalition of varied opposition political parties stand a realistic chance of pushing ZANU PF out of power in the 2018 elections.
That may however happen in a bloody cloud of violence.
The bloody scenes witnessed in the small town have signaled the desperate tactics of aspiring parties that may see the country witness one of the bloodiest elections in the country since independence.
The former Hurungwe West legislator romped to victory over ZANU’s Ronald Chindedza after a coalition of opposition parties that include Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T and Tendai Biti’s PDP threw their support behind his standing as an independent candidate.
MDC-T is still boycotting elections as a demonstration for electoral reforms in the country.
Bloody scenes were witnessed in Norton with accusations going back and forth as to who was to blame for the bloody skirmishes.
ZANU PF Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere accused Mliswa of bringing violence to a normally peaceful town whilst Mliswa countered back at the party he was once part of.
These events have signaled a disturbing but abiding belief in violence as a tool for electoral success in the country likely to be replicated in 2018 which will be a sign of no progress in terms of political maturity for the country.
For all the factional battles ongoing in the ruling ZANU PF, the party isn’t ready to accept defeat lying down and will do everything pre-election to romp its way to victory.
Pre-electoral shenanigans have been singled out as the biggest kind of election rigging ongoing in the country.
Whereas last time elections were held they was talk of Nikuv and other movie style rigging allegations the truth is that intimidation and violence are the two of the biggest rigging styles here.
Vote buying through many means such as doling out stands, which happened in Norton again, and the partisan distribution of food in rural areas are other forms which should be stamped out before 2018.
The partisan distribution of food is already a topic as of now with human rights organisations spelling out cases where this is happening though government through Priscila Mupfumira has refuted the allegations previously.
Speaking to the media recently ZimPF leader Joyce Mujuru refused the existance of ballot stuffing as a rigging trick but stated that intimidation and violence were the foremost systems being used in the country to coerce voters to support certain parties.
The Election Resource Center (ERC) has also been pointing out the same calling the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to stand up and be counted as an electoral body by facing up to ZANU PF’s use of pre-election intimidation and violence as forms of rigging.
As 2018 elections draw near there is need for drastic attitudinal changes on both political party and personal levels if we are to experience elections of an adult and civilized type.
Images of people battering each other over political differences are some of the most archaic things to experience in this century.
As Zimbabwe we have to show our high literacy levels mean something by behaving as people who are open minded enough to accommodate divergence in thought.
The recent splits in parties, Mujuru from ZANU to form her own party; Biti from MDC-T to form his own;, Mangoma from Biti’s PDP to form his own again and Mliswa from ZANU into the arms of the opposition camps should shows us that these are all transient and strategic unions that mean little to die for.
Dying for the country is a metaphysical mantra that shouldn’t be gulped down literally every time, sometimes simply let the country die for you, it goes to no hell or heaven.
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