After using them to pass Mnangagwa’s CAB3, Zanu PF now targeting own supporters – says opposition leader on ongoing demolitions
OPPOSITION People’s Unity Party (PUP) leader Herbert Chamuka has accused Zanu PF of turning against its own supporters by demolishing their homes and vending stalls in an ongoing operation fronted by Local Government minister Daniel Garwe.
Speaking at a press conference held in Harare on Tuesday, Chamuka further accused Zanu PF of deliberately forgetting how it used the same supporters to force through Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 which extended President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in office to 2030.
Announced initially as Operation Chenesa Harare, the blitz against homes built on unregulated land, illegal tuckshops and vendors operating within the capital’s central business district, has gone national.
Residents have watched as houses they thought were legally built being demolished within minutes.
“If you look at the people whose vending stalls and houses are being demolished, 60% are Zanu PF supporters, most would be wearing Mnangagwa’s clothes, scarfs and wraps,” said Chamuka.
“They are destroying their own supporters’ livelihoods. How does this make sense?
“These are the people who supported him when he was campaigning for CAB3. We want them to immediately stop all graders, stop all councils and the ZRP from destroying lives.”
Videos captured by this publication in Harare South has some victims expressing their undying love for Zanu PF and calling on First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa to save them.
The opposition leader questioned why the government had not prioritised providing alternative accommodation before embarking on the demolitions, arguing that authorities had had decades to mobilise resources and develop adequate housing.
He added: “You have collected so much money since 1980, would it not be wise to first build shelter, even temporary shelter for people before you start this operation?
“We condemn Garwe’s actions. If Garwe says destroy then Mnangagwa has said destroy, if Garwe says destroy then Zanu PF has said destroy.
“This is not being done by the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), it is being done by Zanu PF and as Zimbabweans we should unite and defend our shelters and buildings.”
Zanu PF supporters were bused to Parliamentary Public Hearings on CAB3 where they were expected to share positive views on the amendment that Mnangagwa signed into law on July 7 this year.
The same communities are usually bused to Zanu PF rallies and State functions such as burials of heroes, independence celebrations and Mnangagwa’s birthday.
