PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s continuous failure to solve the country’s economy will hand the MDC-Alliance an electoral victory in the Mutasa Rural District Council ward 10 by-election slated for tomorrow, the opposition candidate said.
Rosemary Mukodza, who is representing the MDC in the by-election made the remarks on Wednesday at Masere Business Centre in Mutasa Central constituency where she was addressing scores of party supporters.
She will battle it out with Magret Tindika from the ruling party and Justine Chirimo from the Lovemore Madhuku-led National Constitutional Assembly.
Mukodza said she has been doing door-to-door campaigns prior to the rally that was graced by party vice-president Morgan Komichi, national organiser Amos Chibaya, Mutasa Central MP Trevor Saruwaka, Mutasa South MP Regai Tsunga, among others.
“I want to thank leaders of my party for coming to show support. I am very humbled by your gesture, we have been doing door-to-door campaigns urging voters to go and vote early in the morning and secure our victory,” Mukodza said.
“I don’t think the Zanu PF candidate has a chance to win because her leader has already failed. Do you think the Zanu PF candidate can stand any chance in this ward election when her leader (Mnangagwa) has failed? Mnangagwa’s failure to run the country will work in our favour.”
She added: “We are not going to sleep on Saturday because we are very aware that this party is capable of rigging this election. Zanu PF has the mechanism to do that.”
Saruwaka said the ward was a MDC-Alliance stronghold and the party will retain the seat that fell vacant after the conviction and later imprisonment of councillor Frank Chitembwe of the MDC over the violent January fuel price hike protests.
“This is our stronghold and we are very confident that we are going to win the ward at all cost,” he said.
MDC has a history of not faring well to Zanu PF in by-elections and has lost several seats to the ruling party during by-elections.
Last month, the opposition was stunned by the ruling party when Kidwell Mujuru (Zanu PF) won the Cowdry Park council seat in Bulawayo urban, the opposition’s strong hold. The MDC had fielded two candidates for the election characterised by voter apathy.