Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF on Sunday said most Zimbabweans are grateful for its rule and dismissed as insignificant a new opposition political party launched at the weekend.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Nathan Shamuyarira shrugged off calls by the leader of the newly launched United People’s Party (UPP), Daniel Shumba, on the ruling party to resign because it had failed to run Zimbabwe properly.
Shamuyarira said Zimbabweans are happy with Zanu-PF because the party liberated them from colonial rule and gave them land seized from former white farmers. He said the call by Shumba — a former provincial chairperson of Zanu-PF — was just a case of ”sour grapes” after he was suspended from the ruling party.
The Zanu-PF politician said: ”Zanu-PF will not resign because of his [Shumba’s] opinion. Many people are grateful to us for what we have done — giving land to the landless and bringing independence. He is just bitter for having been suspended from the party that made him what he is.”
Shumba and five other Zanu-PF provincial chairpersons, as well as former government propaganda chief Jonathan Moyo, were in 2004 suspended by Mugabe from the party after attempting to thwart the appointment of Vice-President Joice Mujuru to the post.
Mugabe had backed Mujuru — who is the wife of powerful former army general Solomon Mujuru — to take over as second vice-president of Zanu-PF and the government, to place her ahead of rivals for the top job when the veteran leader retires in 2008.
Shumba, Moyo and others had supported former parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa for the vice-president’s job but were blocked by Mugabe and punished for daring to oppose Mujuru’s rise.
Last Saturday, Shumba launched his own UPP at a poorly attended rally in the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party stronghold of Highfield.
Addressing about 700 delegates at the rally, Shumba said Zanu-PF must resign for causing widespread poverty among Zimbabweans.
”People have been condemned to poverty, hunger and destitution by Zanu-PF. The people want Zanu-PF to call for democratic elections now. It has lost legitimacy to rule. It must resign for triggering economic collapse,” he told his party’s supporters.
No other leaders of the party were unveiled at the launch, with Shumba saying an interim executive team will be announced on July 31.
A divided and bickering MDC has struggled to dislodge Zanu-PF from power over the past six years, with the opposition complaining that Mugabe has used violence and rigging of elections to remain in power.
Political analysts say the UPP, which draws most of its support from Masvingo province, is unlikely to have much impact on Zimbabwe’s tough political scene. — ZimOnline