By Snr Correspondent
The Nelson Chamisa led MDC followed up its parliamentary by-election lose in Mangwe National Assembly and Lupane East with another crushing defeat in the Zaka East by-elections held on Saturday recently.
Despite Chamisa and the rest of the MDC leadership alleging illegitimacy in ZANU PF Presidential victory in the 2018 harmonised elections, the by-elections are a true testament of the fact that ZANU PF still retains the trust of the majority in Zimbabwe.
MDC sympathizer, Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya was brutal in his assessment of the Zaka East by-election defeat, putting the blame squarely on that party’s inept leadership.
Posting on his official Twitter page, Dr Ruhanya said, “Zanu PF did not rig the Zaka East by election. It won squarely for reasons the MDC especially knows best. Complacency and greed will make MDC pay heavily in 2023.
“The rural election stratagem which is Zanu PF’s center of gravity is not there. Economic crisis alone won’t help,” he said.
Dr Ruhanya also made revelations to the effect that party’s leadership was concentrating on buying its top brass vehicles instead of investing in the by-election, “Was observing MDC top leadership campaign strategies in Zaka East by-election. Very few Standing Committee members went there.
“Most were busy taking their new delivered top of the range vehicles in Harare. Well done ZANU PF for defeating these people!” said Dr Ruhanya.
Government critic, Hopewell Chin’ono tweeted, “The decisive defeat by ZANU PF in Zaka East confirms what I became unpopular for last year, saying that the MDC will never win rural constituencies without grassroots structures!.
“It is a reality that the MDC and the elections director, Jacob Mafume must fix. No rural support no Government,” he fumed.
Another MDC sympathizer, Gift Mawire offered a sombre analysis of the latest defeat by the MDC, attributing ZANU PF’s victory to long lasting relations the party built and has been able to maintain.
Mawire posted on his Facebook page, “Today I woke up disappointed with the outcome of Zaka East By election although I am not surprised, it is a familiar story. It’s important to look at historic relationships that ZANU PF invested into these communities since the liberation war days. It is important to look at how that relationship has continued to flourish over the decades.
“The opposition has not mastered this aspect. For as long as they don’t see that there is something fundamentally wrong with their approach to rural vote, it shall come a time when they will be squeezed out of the Political arena altogether,” he added.
ZANU PF Youth Secretary for Admin, Tendai Chirau posted a detailed analysis of the results on his Facebook page vis-a-vis the 2018 results and exposed the reality that MDC’s support is dwindling.
“Zaka East by-election, Final Results: (2019) Clemence Chiduwa (ZanuPF) 7119; Dereck Charamba (MDC) 1518. 2018 Election Results:
Zanu PF: 8855 MDC-A: 3804.
“Conclusion: Zanu Pf remains very strong while the MDC is losing support. Jecha politics is toxic and unattractive. People are fed up with MDC demos and sanction begging. 2023 will be a whitewash; there won’t be an MDC to talk about,” he concluded.
A look at the parliamentary by-elections shows that Zanu PF as compared to the MDC is growing in its support. The party has managed to consolidate its stranglehold in its strongholds while recording an increase in its support in the traditionally MDC territories like Glen View.
