Khupe pledges equal opportunities
DR THOKOZANI KHUPE says she will create equal opportunities for all Zimbabweans and introduce a culture of constitutionalism in the country’s governance.
The MDC-T leader and presidential candidate in the July 30 harmonised elections says she brings a clean record and will be able to chart a new course if elected.
She told The Herald in an interview that her party sought to create an environment of equitable distribution of resources, and would pursue devolution.
The policies are anchored on the MDC-T manifesto dubbed, “Building an Economy to Support Transformation” (BEST).
“We have the BEST manifesto, which is founded on the principle of equal opportunities for all,” explained Dr Khupe.
“Our problem in Zimbabwe is that we have not been able to provide a society where everyone is equal before the law as provided by the Constitution.
“I believe that I am the best candidate with a clean record, which is not tainted by any scandal. I bring a fresh culture of political leadership that is strong on principle and constitutionalism, something that is a difficult ask for my peers.
“Most importantly as a woman, I represent the majority of voters in this election who are female,” she said.
She emphasised that her personal experiences in politics had shaped her world view and conception of a better society.
“I have been victimised because of two issues; gender and ethnic origin. My party seeks to ensure that no person is denied any opportunity on the basis of gender, race, sex, or tribe. I am just one person who symbolises what many Zimbabweans are experiencing,” said Dr Khupe.
The former trade unionist was the elected deputy president of the MDC-T
◆ under the late Morgan Tsvangirai in 2014. Following Mr Tsvangirai’s death in February this year, Dr Khupe was elbowed out of the party by Mr Nelson Chamisa, leading to a split.
Mr Chamisa now leads MDC Alliance which incorporates six other parties.
Dr Khupe says she was confident of winning the 112 seats that her party is contesting.
“We did a scientific analysis of our strengths and weaknesses, and those constituencies in which we fielded candidates are the ones we are confident of winning,’’ she said.
“History has taught us that we have never won in all the constituencies. We also have to take cognisance of the fact that we have limited resources hence the focus on the 112 constituencies. We are, however, campaigning for the Presidential vote in all the 210 constituencies.”
She said she was open to alliances on condition of shared values.
“We will not go into any alliance as a marriage of convenience. Any alliance with our party shall be based on whether those parties or coalitions share the same value system with us,” she said.