The opposition ZAPU party says it is planning to contest the 2023 elections to prove that it is still in existence despite signing the Unity Accord with ZANU in 1987 to end the Gukurahundi killings.
ZAPU president, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, who is the son of the late PF ZAPU founding leader Joshua Nkomo, said having the party’s name on the ballot would be a “victory”. He said:
ZAPU will contest these elections, firstly as an act of defiance against those who, in 1987, thought that they had buried us.
Having our name on the ballot paper is victory enough. We must aim very high but remain realistic in our planning.
Nkomo made the remarks during the party’s inaugural cadre development workshop in Bulawayo early this week.
In 2008, the late Dumiso Dabengwa and some of the former PF ZAPU members quit ZANU PF to revive ZAPU but the party has failed to leave a mark on the country’s political landscape. Said Nkomo:
In 2008, we left the host and started rebuilding our structures. Today marks an important step towards consolidating those structures for battles ahead.
As we face multiple challenges, both internal and external, this workshop should produce a cadre ready to defend the union through superior logic and build a platoon of like-minded cadres.
ZAPU recently experienced what seems to be a huge setback after the party expelled five senior members, including secretary-general Strike Mnkandla for allegedly challenging Nkomo. | Zimbabwe Independent