Zimbabwe 2023 Elections: Losing Presidential Candidate Said Had Targeted 250 000 Votes
Wilbert Mubaiwa, a presidential candidate in the recent Zimbabwean elections, aimed to secure 250,000 votes in preparation for the 2028 elections. Despite not winning, Mubaiwa received 53,517 votes, surpassing experienced candidates like Lovemore Madhuku.
Mubaiwa, who operates from an office in Harare’s Newlands area adorned with paintings of liberation heroes, including Solomon Mujuru,Herbert Chitepo, and Joshua Nkomo, expressed respect for these figures. He suggested that they should have retired in 1980, allowing the country to progress. Speaking to NewsDay on the results, the 61-year-old Mubaiwa whose resume tells the story of a well-schooled man with a portfolio full of high-ranking positions in industry and commerce, said:
I was shocked by the figures I received. I had targeted 250,000 voters, building up for 2028. People may be surprised by the number of votes I received and may claim that ZEC rigged the election in my favour, but I actually worked hard.
We hired a public relations company to conduct surveys. We realised that there is a significant number of die-hard supporters in both ZANU PF and CCC. We also discovered that the only way for an opposition party to win is by eating into ZANU PF’s support base.
Wilbert Mubaiwa
I realised that I had limited resources, so I only met with leaders in several provinces, hoping that they would spread the word to others in their communities. However, I discovered that most people were serving multiple political parties for financial gain.
We believe that our collective faith in God, our traditions, beliefs and practices handed down to us by our ancestors give purpose and meaning to our nation. They unite the people of Zimbabwe, and Africa as a whole, in a bond of fraternal love, unity and purposefulness.
We stand united and motivated by our fights and struggles against the destabilising and subjugating influences of imperialism, slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, inequality and the manipulation of the electorate,” opined the soft-spoken veteran administrator.
Regarding the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), Mubaiwa said if President Emmerson Mnangagwa is serious about it, he should amend the Constitution. Mubaiwa stated that he has not considered joining POLAD and will decide when the time comes. He said POLAD lacks legal statutes, rendering it ineffective.
Mubaiwa recounted his political journey, starting with joining the Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) Party led by former Vice-President Joice Mujuru in 2016. He later became part of the National People’s Party (NPP) but resigned in October 2017 due to disagreements and undemocratic practices.
Mubaiwa said concerned Zimbabweans approached him to initiate a three-year consultation process to assess the need for a new political party. Based on the resulting report, the National People’s Congress (NPC) was formed, and Mubaiwa was elected as its interim president on March 13, 2022. Subsequently, he became the substantive president of the NPC on January 27, 2023, without facing any opposition.
Mubaiwa’s professional background includes serving as deputy chairperson of the ZESA Holdings board of directors and chairperson of the Hwange Colliery Company. He has also held leadership roles in various organisations, demonstrating his expertise in infrastructure and logistics. Mubaiwa attributes his success to his fascination with numbers and charts.
