MDC has no grievances: Mangwana

As Zimbabweans await with bated breaths to cast their ballots in the much anticipated harmonised elections on Monday next week, political parties and their protagonists position themselves for the big haul. The Herald’s Elliot Ziwira (EZ) had a conversation with ZANU-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Paul Mangwana (PM) on the party’s preparedness and the opposition’s tiff with ZEC among other issues.

EZ: As the election campaign trail reaches the homestretch, what is the pervading feeling in ZANU-PF? PM: Victory is certain for ZANU-PF! The question is with what margin? We believe that we are campaigning well and the people are receiving our message. We are very happy with the way the people have been responding. I think the attendance at our rallies is a clear testimony of how they are receiving our leader President Mnangagwa and our party in general. We are happy with the campaign so far. EZ: There seems to be outstanding demands coming from the MDC-Alliance, lack of implementation to which may lead to the opposition outfit’s disregard of the outcome of the July 30 harmonised elections. Do you as ZANU-PF share the same grievances? PM: There are no outstanding issues. We have been negotiating with the MDC for the last four years through what we call inter-party dialogue. These matters they raised last week were new matters and I think ZEC was correct in dismissing most of the raised issues, which were based basically on superstition. You cannot tell a judge exercising her decisions in her sober senses to say a vote migrates from one political party to another. There is no scientific explanation for that

kind of thing. It has not been proven by any empirical evidence to say it can happen. And, I think ZEC was correct to dismiss that kind of thing. We cannot work on superstition. We are a modern country, which believes in science. ZEC has shown all political parties the ballot papers and the ink, and no evidence has been shown that the ink migrates. EZ: So as ZANU-PF, you don’t share the same grievances with the opposition?

PM: We don’t share the same grievances with the MDC-Alliance! In fact, there are no grievances at all. EZ: Allegations are rife that the ruling party’s silence as regards the said reforms may be an indication that ZANU-PF and ZEC are playing from the same corner. What is your comment on that? PM: ZEC commissioners were appointed through the participation of the MDC. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission was set up by Parliament through the Standing Rules and Orders Committee

of which Nelson Chamisa is a member. So in fact Chamisa, appointed ZEC commissioners and for him to turn around today and say ZEC is partisan is a big joke. Chamisa was actually the chair of the Parliamentary Committee which selected ZEC officials. We as ZANU-PF should be complaining probably that ZEC is sympathetic to MDC-Alliance because Chamisa participated in its set up and he knows the commissioners as individuals. Chamisa simply wants sympathy from the international community. He is aware that he is going to lose in the election so, he is preparing a ground for protesting the outcome, which he already knows. He is also managing their internal politics because from here, he knows that there is going to be a congress and his colleagues are coming after him. There is a lot of factionalism in that party, so he wants to sell this idea that elections were rigged because if he loses in the elections, he is likely to lose the leadership

of the MDC. EZ: Has the MDC-Alliance been given adequate platforms to air concerns pertaining to their tiff with ZEC? PM: Yes, they have. They raised the same grievances before ZEC and ZEC considered the merits of their grievances and dismissed them. But we have had four years of inter-party dialogue. They raised a number of issues, which we clarified with the electoral bodies during the four years that those issues did not become part of our agenda because they never existed. EZ: There was a multi-party liaison committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday), and you were said to have walked out. PM: Yesterday, we were receiving the decision of ZEC on the issues which have been raised by the MDC-Alliance and we were not negotiating anything. I did not walk out. I just left after ZEC had made a pronouncement of the decision they have reached and sought questions from the

delegates if anyone needed clarification. Members of the opposition started attacking ZANU-PF arguing that we influenced ZEC to make that decision. I sought protection from the chairperson, who was handling the matter and they decided not to protect my party and, then I thought I could not stand there to be insulted, so I left. It is not true that I walked out. Whatever we were going to say there was not going to change anything. ZEC was simply delivering their judgment. EZ: In your capacity as a lawyer would you consider ZEC effective in interpreting the constitutional provisions of the Electoral Act? PM: Certainly, they are. I respect the Chairperson of ZEC (Justice Priscilla Chigumba), who is a judge of the High Court. The whole team is interpreting the provisions of the law correctly. The Vice Chairperson of ZEC (Emmanuel Magade) is also a lawyer of high repute. He is also a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and has been lecturing for more than 30 years. ◆

Read full interview on www.herald.co.zw