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Zimbabwe's Elections 2013 - Index of Articles
Mugabe’s
secret strategy revealed
The Standard
(Zimbabwe)
July 14, 2013
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/2013/07/14/mugabes-secret-strategy-revealed/
President Robert Mugabe
has set up parallel structures to campaign for him as he is suspicious
of some of his top lieutenants in Zanu-PF, it has emerged.
Sources said Mugabe feared
that some party bigwigs, positioning themselves to succeed him,
could deliberately sabotage him through a protest vote commonly
referred to as bhora musango.
An official close to
Zanu-PF said Mugabe had set up his own “commissariat department”
to spearhead his campaign and organise logistics, including distribution
of regalia.
“He has
roped in the military
and intelligence officials to coordinate his campaign,”
he said. “Very senior military officers have been deployed
to each and every district specifically to campaign for Mugabe.”
Mugabe in the
2008
elections lost to MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai in several
constituencies where his own Zanu-PF MPs had won. The MPs were blamed
for campaigning for themselves while de-campaigning for Mugabe as
part of the protest vote.
The Zanu-PF official
said this time around, Mugabe had his own budget separate from the
party one.
He was using the funds
to print his campaign regalia such a t-shirts, caps, as well as
posters.
The official said in
the wake of revelations that funds, goods and other things donated
to him in the past have been diverted, Mugabe now preferred to be
in direct control of his campaign.
“This election
is different because the party has no money. It is the individuals
who have the money but they do not want to donate directly to the
party,” he said.
Mugabe gave away his
plan when he told a recent central committee meeting that he would
secure funding for cars for Zanu-PF candidates. He did not reveal
where he would get the resources.
There is speculation
the cash could be coming from well-wishers in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo or from his Chinese friends. Proceeds
from the diamond sales which are not going to treasury could
also be utilised, The Standard was told.
Another official said
as the election draws closer and the political temperature rise,
securocrats were openly going to campaign for Zanu-PF.
“For them, a lot
is at stake and they will begin to show their true colours soon.
To them Mugabe has to win by any means necessary,” said the
official.
The official said spanners
were being put along the way for the MDC-T.
“The party will
soon find it difficult to penetrate rural areas because of the deployment
of the military. Villagers fear to attend MDC-T rallies because
they fear being targeted afterwards,” the official said.
Zanu-PF spokesperson,
Rugare Gumbo could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The use of the military
to campaign for Mugabe is however set to raise eyebrows. Under the
new constitution, securocrats are not supposed to be partisan.
In the June
2008 Presidential election run-off, the military spearheaded
Mugabe’s re-election bid and was accused to committing widespread
violence and intimidation. The MDC-T said over 200 of its supporters
were killed in state-sponsored violence.
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