Chipinge Candidate Profile Series #1 

Chipinge South Constituency

Chipinge South Constituency is located in the extreme south of the Manicaland Province, bordering on Mozambique to the east and south, and is found along the highway from Tanganda Halt on the way to Chiredzi. It comprises of 6 wards, namely ward 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 and ward 30 with 32 polling stations. The Constituency has a voter population of 24 415. The candidate profile series # 1 will focus on three candidates from Zanu PF, MDC Alliance and NCA. In coming up with this Candidate Profile Series, PYD believes that it is a natural and inherent right to every citizen to vote from an informed position by virtue of the voter’s membership of the District.

Name: Enock Porusingazi

Party: Zanu PF

Current Member of the House of National Assembly.

Enock Porusingazi is a seasoned politician in Chipinge South Constituency having contested in 2005, 2008, 2013 and now the 2018 elections. In the previous elections, he polled 8302 votes ahead of Meki Makuyana of MDC – T who polled 5764. His strongest showing was in ward 24 and ward 26 where he polled 1877 and 2241 votes respectively, whereas he performed badly in ward 27 and ward 30 where he garnered a combined vote of 129.

Enock Porusingazi went through a rigorous Primary election process where two factors contributed to his victory, and these include vote buying and the busing of people from outside the constituency. He overcame the challenge from Wilson Tarugarira Khumbula, Angeline Hobwana, Leonard Makwambeni and Hoyini Bhila. His opponents cried out citing serious procedural violations of the party’s laid down electoral laws. The primary elections were heavily compromised by money bags which Enock Porusingazi used to his advantage whilst his opponents found it very difficult to compete against. At the same time, the primary elections proved beyond reasonable doubt the fact that Zanu PF failed to adopt a system that allow party members to participate in decision-making and create an unhindered opportunity to contest in elections within the party’s platform. This could be attributed to the competitive nature of the electoral environment where most of the contestants were seasoned politicians in the constituency. Internal democracy in Zanu PF as a concept seems to be honored more in the breach of their laid down procedures as primitive considerations such as avarice, greed, nepotism and outright inordinate ambition by Enock Porusingazi continued to be elevated over and above the wishes of the people. The resultant effect of the outcry was a decision to conduct a rerun in the constituency.   

The rerun was conducted and again Enock Porusingazi came out the winner, this time with a bigger margin. His trump card is rooted firmly in his skill and political dexterity in the circumvention of rules and other acts prejudicial to the tenets of internal democracy. His campaign was premised on the message “HAMBAI NEDHODHA RAMAKAJAIRA MWEIDA KUGUTA” literally meaning that he is advocating for a system of benevolence anchored on a patronage ideology. Enock Porusingazi is a perennial survivor against purging within his own party. In 2014, he survived a purging of a faction led by the then Vice President Joice Mujuru. He was only slapped with a suspension which was later lifted. The  suspension prompted some of his opponents within the party to rope in Wilson Khumbula from Zanu Ndonga in a move viewed as a replacement for Porusingazi. However, the political dynamics changed when the suspension was indefinitely lifted and gave Porusingazi a new lease of life. Again, in 2017, during the so-called Operation Restore Legacy Porusingazi survived as he was constantly regarded as key member of the G40 faction. Most people in the constituency view him as a political elite due to his vast business interests within the Constituency, and therefore party politics is subsequently viewed as a contestation for political power between or among the political elites. In turn, Enock Porusingazi becomes a beneficiary of disengagement from the political processes by the community.

Having won the ticket to represent Zanu PF in the July 30 2018 Elections, Enock Porusingazi is reminded of his track record as the current sitting Member of the House of Assembly. In Chipinge South Constituency, the most vulnerable members of the population are the women, children and the elderly who suffer as the result of social injustice arising from Greenfuel. As soon as he was elected in the 2013 harmonised elections, Enock Porusingazi banned DEPIC, a community platform for engagement with Greefuel. This made it impossible for the community to engage the business entity on issues to do with displacement, land encroachment and water pollution. Crop yields in the constituency are generally poor and people have to rely on humanitarian organisations for food aid, an issue the he has been using on partisan basis. With the shenanigans of Greenfuel, the impoverishment of the community becomes an issue of concern that needs political answer.

#MugangaWedu2018

Platform for Youth Development Trust Call for Intergenerational Justice.

The Day of the African Child brings together people of diverse background and harmonises community cohesion and in some respect raise an awareness on Child’s rights. The day was commemorated at Checheche Primary School on 16 June 2018 under the theme; “LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND IN AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT.” The commemoration was held on the backdrop of a harmonised elections under the so called new dispensation, and Zimbabwe is yet to discover if the assertion is an illusion or real. The guest of honour at the event was Sally Nobuhle Mlambo, who is the PYD Board Chairperson. The board chairperson extoled parents to protect children against rape, early child marriages and prostitution. Again, she provided a background information on the Day of the African Child and reconnected the current theme with the events unfolding in the district. She spoke strongly against violence as it is retrogressive for community development. The day had a variety of activities that included traditional dances, poetry, drama acts and sports tournament.

The team that eventually won a soccer tournament was 1:1  of Mutumburi village, and netball was won by Machona. The other soccer teams that participated included Mukhukhuzi, Garahwa, Guyo, Rimbi, Chisumbanje, Checheche, and Fogo Fire while in netball there was Katanga, Chisumbanje, Checheche, Rimbi, Manzvire, Manesa and Matsuro.

PYD has been involved in a voter registration project since October 2017 to raise an awareness for young people to register as voters during the BVR exercise. The organisation takes cognisance that the commemoration was an opportunity to denounce politically motivated violence and promote peaceful campaigns. Some of the sentiments that came out of the event were that political parties and their emissaries normally abuse the election period through intimidation, coercion and serious violation of children’s rights. The country’s socio-economic and political environment is currently suffering from structural inequalities that becomes a breeding ground for intergenerational injustice. Through this year’s commemoration, PYD urged the new dispensation to be a reality by ensuring free, fair and credible elections. The resultant effect of the harmonised elections must ensure that there is fair distribution of services and opportunities between the young and the old, and between the current and future generations. The aftermath of the elections, the country need to remove structural inequalities that have endangered social security of each child in Zimbabwe.

From the commemorations, it was clear that there is need to build a pathway to success for every child in Zimbabwe. In our communities, PYD has intervened where children have been neglected and made vulnerable. The organisation has done this through its gender activists who have been recording various challenges facing a Zimbabwean child. These challenges include school dropout, child pledging, rape by close relatives and forced prostitution among other worrying trends. PYD is committed to work closely with all stakeholders including government to prioritise laws and policies that promote the livelihood of children and their cognitive development. The priorities include right to health, right to education and economic development, right to a name and shelter. In the current political narrative that is underpinned by electioneering, children appear not to be prioritised and can safely be forgotten. As much as we have a legislative framework that protects children from abuse and harm like outlawing the marriage of children below the age of 18 years, we are still to implement these constitutional provisions.

Intergenerational justice is therefore never partisan, but it challenges everything about our socio-economic and political development.  

Chipinge District is Ready to Vote

Owen Dhliwayo

The country was literally brought to a standstill on 14 June 2018 as aspiring candidates file their documents with ZEC. It was a day set aside for the nomination court to sit and allow prospective candidates to present their credentials for approval as provided by the law. In Chipinge District, the nomination court for the House of Assembly sat in Mutare, a provincial capital for Manicaland Province. Chipinge District has five (5) constituencies that are being contested by at least twenty – two (22) candidates. Notable political parties that have successfully fielded candidates in the district include CODE, MDC Alliance, MDC T, NCA ,Rainbow Coalition and ZIPP with various individuals filing their credentials as independents. This is ample proof that the Chipinge community is made up of people of different political persuasion as well as of different level of development.

According to the recent Afrobarometer Survey, more than three-fourths (77%) of Zimbabwean adults say they will “definitely” vote in the 2018 election. There is a likelihood of witnessing a substantial voter turnout as opposed to voter apathy we have grown to experience during election period. From the same survey, 63% of the respondents strongly believe that voting is a civic duty whereas 34% believe it as a personal choice. It becomes the duty of community-based organisations like PYD to ensure that all eligible voters in Chipinge District exercise their right to vote. People in Chipinge District has had a low opinion of the political process in addressing their socio- economic challenges. This is a moment for the district to have a belief in their power to make a political difference in this election.  Most politicians have been long regarded as a symbol of dominance and the architect of community polarisation and social exclusion. Large scale investments like Greenfuel and Matanuska have been used by politicians to divide and exploit the district, and it has become a struggle for common people to realise social justice. This year’s harmonised elections are an opportunity for the community to exercise their right to vote, but through relating the political rhetoric uttered at rallies to the suffering, oppression and exploitation of people in the district. Any candidate worth his or her salt in Chipinge District need to reconcile the inherent contradictory in the political circle with the challenges for social amelioration and economic development in our community. 

Another aspect needing serious attention is the role of women in political processes within the community. It is important to note that of all the 22 aspiring House of Assembly candidates, there is only one-woman candidate – Sifiso Sithole,who is contesting in Musikavanhu constituency. This can be interpreted from a social, political, economic and cultural pattern within our Zimbabwean society, and from the values of the contesting political parties. The political structure combined with the patriarchal contempt for women has caused them to experience marginalisation that knows no ethical or physical bonds. However, more women are vying for the local authority’s positions. This election is an opportunity to make clear political statement against a depressing situation where marginalisation, polarisation and exclusion are managed and allowed to achieve a rhetorical precision at the expense of socio-economic relevance.

The lessons of past elections can be instructively applied to the forthcoming harmonised elections. As a community, we have a history of defining our own socio – political trajectory and needs to be defined as a community that yearns to create a socio – economic condition that permeate across the political divide. The political ferment around rights-based approach to community development should be a vital cog in defining this election in the district. The struggle for a fundamental transformation of the district is of paramount importance. Therefore, there is need to deal with voter apathy. Voter apathy has been primarily caused by politicians who focus more on rhetoric that props political power at the expense of social change. It is good to note that community-based organisations like PYD’s work has been to create a community of awareness to achieve social justice. Chipinge district has been a victim of political benevolence from reckless political parties, and this was anchored on a system of patronage to enhance social control. Therefore,candidates like Winmore Mlambo, Vrante Mahlupeko, Joshua Murire, Canfred Pambuka, Takawira Mupakati, Robert Mhlanga, Adam Chimwamurombe, Clifford Hlatywayo, Sibonile Nyamudeza etal need to prioritise an improvement on the district’s social condition.

PYD is urging all registered voters in the district to exercise their right to vote in order to have the desired social conditions that may improve their welfare. According to ZEC District Elections Officer, James Saguru, over 111 276 people against a projection of 120 000 have registered to vote in the five constituencies in Chipinge District. Chipinge Central constituency has the largest number of registered voters or 28 731, followed by Chipinge South with 24 415. Chipinge East and Chipinge West constituencies have 21 218 and 18 626 respectively with Musikavanhu constituency managing a figure of 18 286. Of the 111 276 people who have registered to vote, 67 672 people are female voters while 43 604 are male voters. Chipinge District has 204 polling stations.

People of Zimbabwe Reject a Militarised Electoral Process

Owen Dhliwayo

As much as most people in Zimbabwe appreciate the role of the military in the subsequent resignation of Robert Mugabe from the presidency, they are apprehensive about the military playing a significant and clear role in political matters. According to a recent Afrobarometer survey, 41% of Zimbabweans believed that the military intervention that took place in November of 2017 was the right thing to do, whereas 40% alluded to the fact that it was wrong but necessary with 12% outrightly saying it was a wrong thing to do. At the same time, there was a significant percentage of people who were sceptical about the prospect of the election results being announced or to be counted fairly as they view the role of the military with disdain and mistrust.

In Zimbabwe there are two issues that you cannot talk about in one breath in polite company - that is the military and politics. The mere mention of the two subjects in one cluster brings with it an ultimate concern that make it very uncomfortable. The military’s involvement in politics has been enhanced by the need to maintain their interests because they believe that power and influence is intertwined with the dynamics of Zanu PF and not the government. Zimbabwe can safely be classified as a military regime due to its governance framework. The November 2017 celebrated incident was a process whereby the military intervened to control the political power dynamics that it was viewing as drifting away from its point of influence. According to Jenkins and Kposowa (1992), the centrality of the military to the state’s claim on legitimate violence makes it prone to use this to dominate politically and especially, if civilian institutions are weak. Our military wields great political power and have invaded civilian institutions to be at the centre of the political influence in Zimbabwe.

From the Afrobarometer survey, 68% of the respondents agree very strongly that the armed forces are for the external defence and security of the country and should not be involved in politics. In other words, the respondents are saying that the best contribution of the military is precisely not be ideologically predictive nor loyally partisan. The 2018 elections is so important like any other election before, but it will be good for the country if the military will only safeguard the territorial integrity of the nation and not the territorial dominance of Zanu PF. The Afrobarometer survey has created an enormous and important political debate in Zimbabwe as we head towards the harmonised elections on 30 July 2018. Demographic information from the survey show that our communities are highly polarised and they stand on extreme ends of the political game. Therefore, in that polarised landscape the military ought to be neutral and ensure smooth transition of political processes without it interfering.

The Afrobarometer results will be useful in bringing about pointers on what Zimbabweans can choose as their leadership. The military must be confined to the barracks, despite having assisted in the removal of Robert Mugabe who had become a global challenge in undermining the freedom of the people. PYD as a community based organisation is of the belief that the military should not be involved in the electoral processes as this is detrimental to development, social justice and cohesion.

 30 July 2018 - Whither Chipinge District

Owen Dhliwayo

Through the statutory instrument (SI) 83 of 2018, President Emmerson Dambudzo Munangagwa proclaimed Monday the 30^th of July 2018 as the “day of the election to the office of President, the election of members of the National assembly and election of councillors,” and he also proclaimed that “a nomination court shall sit on the 14^th day of June 2018…” This effectively means that Zimbabwe will go to an election this year and has put to rest some of the doubts in relation to the holding of an election considering that the current administration came into effect on the backdrop of a so called “soft coup” This is a positive development. It’s now game on, as both the local and international community cast their attention on the elections. According to Factsheet L7 Legislative Series (May 2008), statutory instruments are a form of legislation that allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force without Parliament having to pass a new act.

Chipinge district has 5 Constituencies and 36 wards and 1 senatorial seat up for grabs. The fundamental character of the socio -political and economic narrative in Chipinge district calls for a new kind of politics that is grounded in social purpose and personal commitment. The district is currently bedevilled with issues of poverty, lack of economic opportunities and social injustices. Since independence, elections have been taking place as and when they were due but lacked the impetus to transform the lives of the common people. SI 83 of 2018, made it possible for every eligible citizen to vote in the forthcoming harmonised elections. However, Gandhi warned against social sins that can create a dysfunctional society and these social sins include politics without principles, wealth without work and most importantly education without character. He was pointing out to the crucial relationship between ethics and public life. Chipinge district needs political leadership that can evoke the common bond of diverse people, as the old political bigotry we have become accustomed to is almost completely dysfunctional and have run its course. The district has suffered deep political polarisation and socio-economic underdevelopment.  

Elections in Zimbabwe have been reduced to the selfish struggle for power among competing interests instead of a process of searching for the common good. Social injustice has been witnessed glaringly when Greenfuel established its ethanol plant in Chisumbanje. There are still cases of encroachment into communal lands and the resultant effect of people being displaced from their traditional settings. Land rights of common people are seriously violated, and social injustice is the order of the day. This is taking place under the watchful eye of political players who are too compromised to come to the defense of the defenseless villagers. Again, in the same district, communal villagers in Mutema received an unjust arrangement from Matanuska, a private entity that is into banana farming. The arrangement puts small scale banana farmers in Mutema at an economic disadvantage. All these large-scale investments have failed dismally to transform the lives of the common people as the political players appear to be involved in the shady arrangements to dupe and impoverish local people. For community transformation to be realised, it is imperative to have arrangements that takes the economic arrangements beyond the bottom line of profit to an economic ethic rooted in social purpose and justice.  It is in this vein, that Chipinge district is against the current narrative of the politics of power that has been consistently failing to yield to the politics of community building. The district has witnessed a situation where aspiring MPs engage in endless ideological posturing and seeking to materially gain from the suffering of the common people.

The politicians of the major parties in the district are yet to articulate and demonstrate a desire to confront the underlying crisis. There are real limits to what elections can provide to better the human conditions, but they can make a great different. People in Chipinge district are now in abject poverty than at any time in the last three decades, and the emergence of large scale investments was greeted with hope. The disintegrating economy is a top political issue in this election, but also is the rampant social injustice in local communities. Chipinge district is in dire need community based economic development projects to provide alternatives to the exploitation by the large-scale investments.

This year’s elections need to be guided by the principles of social purpose and personal commitment. Elected representatives are by the nature of the public office, ought to build strong, stable communities and be the voice of the community. Since elections are part of the tenets of democracy, local people have the right to shape the socio-economic and political landscape of their communities. 

PYD is urging every registered voter in Chipinge district to perform a civic duty by casting their votes on the 30^th of July 2018.

Primary Elections and Community Development in Chipinge District

Owen Dhliwayo

Chipinge district participated in the primary elections. These primary elections were a platform for people to select one person out of many to be the desired representative for the forthcoming harmonised elections. The people who participated in the just ended primary elections were of the opinion that the process will be done according to the respective party’s guidance and rules but were turned into a turf related battle that affected social cohesion with the ultimate loser being the common villager. PYD as a community based organisation believes that primary elections are an internal democratic form of recruitment of personnel into public offices, and that the process ought to involve rules and regulations that are designed to ensure a certain degree of fairness and justice to all concerned. According to Ezimah (2004) Community Development is the economic, physical and social revitalization of communities led by the people who live in that community. Again, community development is integrative as it includes people of different sexes, ages, religious and political viewpoints and even stages of development. Thus, the electoral process is envisaged as an element that can help integrate policies, beliefs and ideologies into a whole functioning community

Zanu PF and the MDC Alliance were involved in the primary elections to select their candidates for the forthcoming harmonised elections. Zanu PF had primary elections in Chipinge Central, Chipinge East, Chipinge West, Chipinge South and Musikavanhu Constituencies, whereas the MDC Alliance had their own primary elections in Chipinge East and Chipinge West Constituencies, with Musikavanhu Constituency and Chipinge South results still being contested. Chipinge Central was allocated to their alliance partner, Zanu Ndonga and Chipinge South allocated to a youthful candidate under their youth quota system. The primary elections were characterised by heavy contestations culminating in chaotic, violent scenes and malpractices attributed to lack of organisational capacity within the respective political parties. In some instances, voting was delayed due to ballot papers without names of contesting candidates. Again, there were cases of vote buying, intimidation and bussing in of purported supporters so as to influence the outcome of the voting process. On average there were four (4) people at every given position vying for the sole ticket to be representatives either in local authorities or house of assembly.

Chipinge district has more women voters (64 427) than male registered voters (41 160) but the primary elections produced male representatives as can be deduced from the table below. There is a glaring absence of gender balance as women appear to have been left out of the political decision making. This scenario where women failed to be elected will surely affect community development as gender balance normally brings a very positive and sustainable development in Chipinge district. This will minimize the conflict in the society and will enhance and boost up the development activities.

Constituency	Zanu PF	MDC Alliance
Chipinge Central	Raymond Machingura	Reketai Semwayo (alliance partner)
Chipinge East	Winmore Mlambo	Mathias Muyambo
Chipinge South	Enock Porusingazi	Clifford Hlatwayo*
Chipinge West	Adam Chimwamurombe	Sibonile Nyamudeza
Musikavanhu	Joshua Murire	Macmillian Rimbi*

Source; PYD Information Dept

*there are still being contested internally

There was an interesting observation where the legal equality of voters was not commensurate with their freedom to choose which of the political aspirants would represent them in the forthcoming harmonised elections. Again, some candidates failed to present their views to the electorate. The voting process was characterized by abuses of the electoral process by aspiring candidates and the refusal to accept electoral verdicts. This scenario has had deleterious effects on community development in Chipinge district. These primary elections left most communities with vague feeling of anger, sadness, anxiety, concern and a sense of hopelessness, and vulnerable to the tension of conflicting needs, demands and interests of the community as we head towards the harmonised elections. PYD noted with grave concern the problems posed by the manner in which the primary elections of the two political parties were conducted. The further consequence is that social cohesion is destroyed as individuals and groups are polarised along party lines. The violence, bribery and corruption that bedevilled the primary elections will bring setback to community development. A good and effective leadership is a sure means of influencing group activities towards community development.

In this essence, PYD extols all the 103 political parties that will be contesting in the forthcoming harmonised elections to prioritise community cohesion as well as advocating for a process of inclusiveness. Political parties through their representatives are encouraged to promote effective participation of both women and men in ways that will result in tangible, measurable and positive changes within Chipinge district. Thus, to inculcate a culture of enhancing the ability of the people to use existing opportunities to participate and to have additional such opportunities created. PYD views community development activities as having the potential to effect changes that will combat poverty and social exclusion and address power imbalances in policy making. In other words, at its best, community development is seen as a powerful force for social and political change.