Another obscure political party launched in hotel

By Lance Guma
07 February 2008

A local hotel in Harare on Monday was the setting for the launch of a new political party, the Zimbabwe Development Party. The unknown Kisnot Mukwazhi who claims to be a former member of Zanu PF’s Masvingo province leads the party. Flanked by his deputy Facemore Museza the duo faced sceptical journalists who were keen to know more about the party. The two men hurriedly left the hotel when journalists asked about their sponsorship, offices, banners, policies and structures. On Tuesday former finance minister Simba Makoni hired the Rainbow Towers (formerly Sheraton Hotel) to announce he would also stand in the presidential elections on March 29th.

Those who attended the Zimbabwe Development Party press conference described the speeches as shallow, predictable and probably penned by Zanu PF spin-doctors. ‘Zanu-PF has done a lot in bringing independence and land but some Cabinet ministers are corrupt and mislead the head of state,’ Mukwazhi said. "We do not want what the MDC has done in campaigning for sanctions. Because of sanctions, we are all suffering. We do not condone sanctions we want dialogue," he went on to say before adding that they recognised Mugabe as President and were against any efforts to remove him violently. Although Mukwazhi criticised the manner in which the land reform exercise was conducted he reserved most of his venom for the MDC.

It has been a feature of the country’s politics that new parties mushroom towards an election only to go into hibernation afterwards. A former town councillor in Gweru, Ruyedzo Mutizwa formed his People’s Democratic Party in January while former prosecutor Levison Chikafu formed the Liberal Democratic Party last year after falling out with ministers Patrick Chinamasa and Didymus Mutasa. Another political party in the fray is the Zimbabwe People’s Democratic Party, led by Isabel Madangure. Most of the new parties have sparked suspicion over the possible involvement of Zanu PF in sponsoring them to create confusion.

Meanwhile the chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly Lovemore Madhuku has dismissed the entry of Makoni into the presidential race as a joke. Madhuku said, ‘its very depressing about Zimbabwean politics that anyone can just rent a room in a hotel in Harare and announce that they are running for president, with a soldier standing behind them.’ He argued that Makoni had no support base on the ground and was a relative unknown in the rural areas.