Lovemore Madhuku, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) president, has stated that the chaotic scenes of crowds scrambling for free groceries at ZANU PF rallies are a sign of the government’s failure.
Speaking at a meeting in Chinhoyi, Madhuku emphasised that Zimbabweans were suffering at the hands of the ruling elite, who must be removed during the August 23 harmonised elections. Madhuku urged citizens to seek a government that cherishes prosperity and indicated that every ZANU PF rally is evidence of failure. He said:
Citizens should seek a government that cherishes prosperity. Remember there is Madhuku who will be on the ballot paper on 23 August vying for president. There would be others but don’t vote for them.
If this country was ruled effectively, people would have adequate food stocks in their households, they shouldn’t go to rallies to get basic commodities.
If people had cooking oil, rice and mealie-meal, they would not go to a rally to get these things, but go and contribute to nation building through exchanging views and ideas, and listen to what the leadership is promising.
Attending rallies in order to get these things is evidence of failure because the masses are suffering.
People should come voluntarily (to rallies) using their own money because they would be in a position to afford. Every ZANU PF rally is evidence of failure.
He further urged the electorate to vote for NCA in upcoming polls and remove Mnangagwa’s regime, which has not succeeded in improving Zimbabwe’s economic situation.
Madhuku also reiterated the need to rejig the 2013 national Constitution, which he said was a compromise document agreed between late former president Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the then opposition front-man.
Madhuku has contested previous presidential polls, and despite his unwavering determination to land the presidency, he has fared dismally in past plebiscites. His participation in elections is largely viewed by detractors as a sideshow to give credence to a supposed democratic society.
The situation in Zimbabwe is dire, with some members of the public attending rallies for food and free groceries as they are unable to afford them. The economy has been in collapse for years, with some analysts claiming that the government deliberately caused this to make the electorate dependent on them. By controlling the distribution of resources, they can manipulate the voting process, determining who gets what, when, and how. Those who do not support the government risk missing out on these essential goods. Some of the goods donated at these rallies include farming inputs such as fertilizers and seeds, groceries, as well as party regalia.