Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Mutambara faction is moving around campaigning for Simba Makoni.

Arthur Mutambara

“Tirikukumbirawo kuti muzovhoterewo Makoni. We are MDC yekwaMakoni (Mutambara),” they pleaded peacefully as they moved from house to house in one of Harare’s suburbs. Though Makoni earlier on refuted that they had joined forces with the Mutambara MDC faction, events on the ground show that they are now working together.

Though the Mutambara faction has its own candidates vis-à-vis council, parliamentary and senatorial elections, they are urging their members and followers to vote for Simba Makoni in the presidential elections. There are other independent candidates who are campaigning under the banner of Simba Makoni as he openly invited them to do so. There has been much skepticism on the Makoni campaign as some feel he is being used by Mugabe to divide votes while others term him a lion in sheep’s clothing and on the other hand some calling him the new dawn for Zimbabwe.

Makoni has for long said that he has the support of some ruling party heavyweights but he has not named them up to now. People have been waiting patiently for the heavyweights to come out but it seems as if the heavyweights have decided to play their game from the barrel. Some who are against Makoni are sighting his soft stance on Mugabe as well as the secret discussion they entered into as the reasons for them not trusting Makoni’s bid.

However this year he has taken it upon himself to challenge the president in the coming elections, a fit not many Zanu PF’s are willing to do. Since he did not get a position after the in-house party nominations within Zanu PF, some are saying this is how he is paying back for the party that groomed him. A lot of controversy surrounds the Makoni campaign but it is only him who knows what is really going on and being as secretive as he is, there is not much that the electorate can do but either vote or not vote for him come elections. One thing though that can not go unnoticed is the fact that Makoni is a dear to intellectuals as well as young professionals who feel they have the same line of thinking with him. It is so obvious that in urban areas he poses a threat not only to Mugabe but Tsvangirai as well.

It is not clear though what type of support he has managed to gunner in the rural areas where it is Mugabe’s pillar of winning the elections. If Tsvangirai or Makoni want to defeat the old man, then they have to penetrate the rural areas at all costs but once again, looking at the time they have left at hand, that should have been done a long time ago.

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