Zimbabwe’ ruling party, Zanu PF, has stressed that it will not be pushed into another power-sharing government with opposition political parties through violent street protests.
Violent protests, sponsored by opposition political parties and other social groups trying to push for electoral reforms and other social and economic ills they feel the government is failing to tackle have rocked Zimbabwe in the past few weeks.
Speaking at the weekend, President Mugabe said western countries were sponsoring opposition parties not only in Zimbabwe but in the wider southern African region, to foment unrest in a bid to remove from power the former liberation movements governing these countries.
Addressing journalists here Wednesday, Zanu PF Secretary for Adminstration Dr Ignatius Chombo said the ruling party would not be cowed into entering another Government of National Unity (GNU).
“The opposition has formed a coalition by some external forces which have become glaringly visible .The opposition have taken to violent protests supported by western powers who are providing financial aid,” he noted.
“The opposition is doing this to force Zanu PF into a government of national unity .There cannot be a government of national unity when Zanu PF won elections and was given a five-year mandate to rule.”
Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were parties in the government of national unity which ended in 2013 when the ruling party won the polls.
Dr Chombo said President Mugabe challenged the ruling party’s Politburo to devise ways of thrashing the opposition protests. “The President informed the Politburo to be in the lead for the party to develop its own strategies to counter the violence being perpetrated by the opposition,” he said.
He added that the president also encouraged party members to be highly vigilant and well organized and to be firm in defending the party so that Zanu PF will have a resounding victory (in elections due) in 2018,” said Chombo.
— BERNAMA-NNN-NEW ZIANA
