The ManicaPost
Mukachana Hanyani Post Correspondent
THE Norton parliamentary by-election that was held on Saturday, October 22, 2016 leading to independent candidate, Temba Mliswa winning against Zanu-PF candidate, Cde Ronald Chindedza should not be taken lightly by the ruling party as the opposition has already started celebrating as if they are now assured of the 2018 harmonised elections victory.
They see this as the gradual beginning of the fall of the mighty revolutionary party Zanu-PF, hence the ruling party should tighten its belts.
Some opposition political parties` celebrations follow on the backdrop of them having joined Temba Mliswa in campaigning for that parliamentary seat which was left vacant when the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veteran Association leader, Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa was expelled from Zanu-PF a few months ago.
Temba Mliswa, the independent candidate sought the help to campaign from his fellow opposition political parties and they joined him in campaigning vigorously leading to him duly elected candidate for Norton by-election parliamentary seat.
Now Zanu-PF`s loss of that parliamentary seat to Mliswa with the opposition political parties joining in celebrating his victory needs to be taken seriously by the ruling party. It should be realised that Zanu-PF has been winning all by-elections since independence and this loss should raise eyebrows and become a wakeup call for the revolutionary party. Zanu-PF should also analyse what really went wrong and try to find faults and correct such mistakes as the harmonised 2018 elections are drawing closer.
Actually the ruling party could get more from what people have been saying regarding the Norton by-elections as to use such concerns in coming up with solutions. On the other hand, some media houses were reporting that the criteria used to select the Zanu-PF candidate in the party’s primary elections was not up to scratch.
There was also a talk of imposition of that candidate, with some saying Cde Ronald Chindedza was not popular with the electorate as he was reportedly not permanently residing in the constituency although he claimed to have been born there.
Such concerns from the electorate that the candidate was imposed on them and that Cde Chindedza was not permanently residing in the constituency could have worked against the party.
Some party leadership should now listen to such concerns and let people choose their own candidates who are also known within their constituencies. Candidates who just come during elections just to confuse the electorate should be avoided whatever the political position that one holds in the party.
Impositions of candidates seem to have been a cancer within some political parties, with the ruling party being fingered as a culprit. In some cases you get senior leadership saying that such a constituency is reserved for such gender groups just because the real candidate who could have made ground work in that constituency is not liked by the powers that be.
Hopefully the demise of the ruling party in the Norton by-elections will be taken as a lesson by the top Zanu-PF leadership so that problems are solved as soon as possible. There is no need to cry foul over this Norton debacle with the leadership going for witching-hunting over this issue as concerns raised were/are clear and straightforward.
Fielding unknown candidate in a constituency where the opposition grouped together was only going to bring negative results to Zanu-PF as confirmed in the Norton by-election results. It should be known that the era used to be taking the electorate for granted has past its age and people are now able to choose between good and bad apples.
As such, Zanu-PF should now look itself in the mirror and see whether they will continue taking unpopular candidates to the electorate or they will let the electorate choose for themselves for the betterment of the party. Personal interests should not override mass interests if Zanu-PF wants to win comfortably in the 2018 harmonised elections.
The revolutionary party should avoid the imposition of candidates so that in the 2018 harmonised elections it easily wins like what it did in the July 31, 2013 harmonised elections. Actually the economic problems which Zimbabweans are reeling under are an albatross on the Zanu-PF neck and any mistake and continuous imposition of candidates could trigger a protest vote coupled thereby causing the demise of the ruling party.
The Norton by-elections although so painful to talk about it within Zanu-PF, but it should be received as a blessing in disguise as it will awaken it to face the 2018 harmonised elections challenge.
As I see it, the Norton by-elections could be exemplified with the 2000 Draft Constitutional Referendum vote in which the opposition MDC joined by the white community campaigned for a NO vote thereby becoming victors in that referendum.
The rejection of that Draft Constitution led war veterans to invade some white-owned commercial farms leading to the start of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme. As history has it, the Fast Track Land Reform Programme rejuvenated the ruling party and in the 2000 elections that followed, the MDC failed to beat Zanu-PF and since then the opposition has always fallen prey to the revolutionary party in all the following elections.
Now there is nothing to invade as to exemplify the rejection of the 2000 Draft Constitution, but Zanu-PF should now begin to put its house in order to avoid defeat in the 2018 harmonised elections.
There is need for unity of purpose in the ruling party. Factional wars that have been causing divisions in the party should be eradicated. Some reports which emanated after the defeat of Zanu-PF in the Norton by-elections pointed to effects of the factional wars as having caused the Zanu-PF demise.
Some people pointed out that Cde Chindedza allegedly belonged to another faction and those who had their candidate defeated during the primary elections allegedly replicated the infamous 2008: “Bhora Musango” syndrome, thereby leaving Mliswa to comfortably snatch that parliamentary seat from Zanu-PF.
So some factional wars should not be allowed to flourish with the revolutionary party as results are now there for everyone to see in the Norton by-elections. While imposition of candidates and factional wars within the ruling party are causes for concern, the deteriorating economic situation is also a cause for concern.
This is another area where Zanu-PF should seriously look into it because the majority of the electorate is suffering economically.
Individuals are failing to provide basic necessities for their families and with reports of corruption going unpunished put Zanu-PF at an awkward position in the eyes of the electorate.
The economic doldrums which have been hitherto said to be caused by the western-imposed economic sanctions are now allegedly being caused by bigwigs` corruption in both government and parastatals.
Actually Zanu-PF as the ruling party should expeditiously enact laws that criminalise corruption done by whomever despite his political affiliation, position in Government and private sector because Zimbabweans have been suffering for a long time.
Zanu-PF should be aware that the electorate is patiently waiting to see whether the recently reported alleged corrupt activities by some of the bigwigs in Government will be taken care of so that the same could continuously have confidence in this mighty revolutionary party Zanu-PF.
Now it is crystally clear that corruption, imposition of candidates as well as factional wars within Zanu-PF are some serious vices which need to be dealt with once and for all so that the electorate finds no excuse to vote for the opposition political parties in any other election like what happened to the Norton by-elections.
