THE trouncing of the opposition in last week’s Gokwe- Kabuyuni by-election, together with the impressive showing by ZANU PF in the March 26 mini-polls, spell doom for the Western-backed Nelson Chamisa’s CCC.

Last week, the ZANU PF candidate got 10 427 votes against 4 800 garnered by CCC in the Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency. Mind you, this seat was once held by the opposition between 2008 and 2013.

This trend was earlier replicated in the March 26 2022 by -election results where ZANU PF retained all its seats.  Not only that: It also captured two seats from the opposition, including Epworth, a constituency which CCC thought was safe. Even where the opposition retained its seats, the winning margins were heavily reduced.

The massive swing to the ruling Party was a chilling dose for the CCC, since the revolutionary Party had ‘fished from the opposition pond’ as ZANU PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa would like to put it. 

What must have been heartbreaking for CCC was how the party was being deserted by voters from its perceived urban strongholds.

The loss of Epworth and the urban council seat of Mabvuku were among the telling blows. Of course, whenever CCC loses it claims rigging as the scapegoat and forgets that Zimbabwe is a sovereign State when they appeal to the UN to come and supervise our elections.

However, events on the ground clearly show why the popularity of ZANU PF is soaring. The Zimbabwean electorate is not a docile polity: It is not swayed by cheap lies on social media, nor by promises of heaven on earth from politicians. For example, promises by Chamisa, of spaghetti roads, bullet trains and village airports, are easily dismissed as childish fertile imagination.

And when he talks of being given billions of dollars gratis by the US, Zimbabweans’ fear of re-colonisation is rekindled.

A sure thing is, none of the above attracts votes. If anything , it drives voters away as witnessed in recent by-elections.

On the other hand, ZANU PF has promised what is practical and can be seen — it is walking the talk. Dams are being constructed, roads are being rehabilitated, while highways, schools, clinics and dip tanks are being built countrywide, among other infrastructural developments.

Not forgetting the popular climate proof agriculture concept (Pfumvudza)

The Party has also spelt out its main objective as it embarks on these massive infrastructural ventures – to achieve an upper-middle income economy by 2030. 

The message is clear and the road map can easily be followed – leaving no-one and no place behind. The Western surrogate CCC and its sponsors must be wondering why their party is losing its grip on urban areas.

The disgraceful decline in service delivery by CCC-dominated urban councillors, who are busy corruptly lining their pockets, is there for all to see.

The stinking corruption and negligence has seen the flight of voters from CCC as witnessed in the recent by-elections. On the other hand, efforts by the Government to introduce ameliorative measures in urban centres have been well received.

An urban renewal agenda has seen roads being rehabilitated under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP)

Water woes have been eased through the Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme. The long sought after title deeds are on their way to urban dwellers.

All these measures, which show concern of the welfare of urban dwellers by ZANU PF, do not go unnoticed.  The significant swing to ZANU PF in recent by-elections bears testimony to their acknowledgment.

Apart from childish empty promises, CCC will never be forgiven by the Zimbabwean electorate for trying to bring back the defeated colonialists through the backdoor. Whatever billions the Americans might promise, ‘as Donald Trump once did to Chamisa’, they will not be doing it for us but to further their interests. Though it might not be easy, we can build our country brick-by-brick by ourselves and succeed. After all, we were able to liberate ourselves after sacrificing a lot of lives. The corroboration of the West with their erstwhile colonial cousins came to nought like it will always do.