The ruling Zanu-PF party claims that the war cry “faka pressure” by their rival Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa ‘is likely to cause violence ahead of 2023 elections’.
The latest report by Zanu-PF released after their congress claimed that the phrase “faka pressure” that is used by Chamisa at rallies and social media posts had the potential of causing violence, “is also likely to incite violence”.
The party further admitted that people were hungry across the country adding that food aid must be stepped up as “failure to do so will result in people voting with their stomachs”.
The party acknowledged that the opposition was “penetrating Zanu-PF strongholds, particularly rural constituencies” and blamed non-governmental organisations for mobilising supporters on behalf of the opposition.
The report read: “In essence, they are acting as the opposition commissars whose activities complement those of the opposition outfit.”
Zanu-PF said plans by Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and the Election Resource Centre (ERC) to conduct parallel vote tabulation next year “is a recipe for chaos and mayhem as well as a serious security threat”.
The party also acknowledged that the country’s economy was poor and posed a threat to its survival come election day.
“That scenario had caused much volatility within the economy to the extent of becoming a security threat which consequently had blighted ZANU PF’s chance of a landslide win in the 2023 harmonised elections,” read the report.
CCC deputy spokesperson Gift “Ostallos” Siziba dismissed Zanu-PF’s notion that the “faka pressure” mantra was meant to cause violence.
Instead, Siziba argued that the phrase was meant to strengthen the mobilisation drive.
“I understand that Zanu-PF’s current leadership composition lacks the necessary intellectual class whose role should be able to assist the elite in Zanu-PF in terms of interpreting the signs of the time, articulating strategies and alternative pathways to win the hearts and minds of Zimbabweans,” he said.
“The faka pressure mantra is a watch-word whose intention is to galvanize the people that we must win Zimbabwe for change against all odds, which is against violence, machinations of the regime and challenges. Because that is the mantra for winners, that winners don’t quit.
“It’s a simple watch-word meaning we must fought ahead against the difficulties and well known and documented violence that is executed on us.”
On the issue of the economy, Siziba said the crisis was being caused by the lack of social contract between Zanu-PF and the Zimbabwean people.
“The economy is suffering because it is the politics stupid. Zanu-PF has failed to resolve the economic crisis because it lacks the social contract. Zanu-PF is suffering from legitimacy. The regime is not legitimate.
“When there is no social contract which is the relationship between those who govern and those that are being governed, it means that there is no trust. When there is no trust, there is no confidence. So the economy under Zanu-PF cannot be revived,” Siziba added.