Zanu-PF holds march in support of Mugabe

HARARE, Wednesday

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF has held a so-called million-man march in support of the leader.

President Mugabe is preparing to stand for another term in 2018.

The march, which was held in capital Harare, was organised by the youth league of the Zanu-PF.

It came amid claims byFirst lady Grace Mugabe that a Zanu-PF faction reportedly led by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, wanted to topple the 92-year-old leader.

Veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation war initially opposed the march, saying it was being organised by a faction that was misleading the president’s wife.

President Mugabe last Friday said he was not going to step down until he “defeated” western countries that wanted to effect regime change in Zimbabwe.

He has been in power since 1980 and according to the constitution, he can only run for one more term.

Zanu-PF top officials said the march showed that Zimbabweans were still solidly behind President Mugabe despite a biting economic crisis that has seen unemployment rise to more than 90 per cent. Poverty is also on the rise.

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However, the opposition argued that the march was a waste of scarce resources.

The ruling party brought to the capital at least 10,000 supporters from nine province to take part in the march.

The Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) party, led by President Mugabe’s former deputy Joice Mujuru, said the ruling party wanted to divert attention from the economic crisis using the march.

“The march is about creating an impression to the outside world that Zanu-PF and its government that is short of ideas on how to resuscitate the economy should be trusted and supported,” ZimPF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo told the NewsDay newspaper on Tuesday.

Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change urged its supporters to use the march to tell President Mugabe to step down.

“Whoever is going to march on May 25 should be marching against poverty, joblessness, hunger, destitution and corruption,” Tsvangirai said through MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu. “It is these ills that have been the hallmark of Robert Mugabe’s unparalleled mismanagement of the national economy over the decades.”

A similar march was held by the liberation war fighters in 2008 when Mugabe was facing internal calls to step down.

Zimbabwe usually deals ruthlessly with opposition protesters and MDC had to seek the intervention of the courts for police to clear its May 28 march.

MDC wants to protest against job losses and the deteriorating economy.

Last month, Tsvangirai led thousands of his supporters in a march on the streets of Harare against the same issues but only after the High Court stopped the police from disrupting the demonstration.