Cometh the hour, cometh the Mak

Cometh the hour, cometh the Mak

AFTER YOUR JOB: Makoni talks to reporters at a hotel in Harare on Tuesday, February 5

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By Staff Reporters

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe will face a challenger from within his own party in elections due in March after former finance minister Simba Makoni declared on Tuesday he was running for President in elections due on March 29.

Makoni, a respected figure within Zanu PF, was sacked as finance minister by Mugabe for attempting to devalue the currency.

“I share the agony and anguish of all citizens over the extreme hardships that we have all endured for nearly 10 years now,” Makoni told a press conference in Harare.

“I also share the widely held view that these hardships are a result of failure of national leadership.

"Following very extensive and intensive consultations with party members and activists countrywide and also with others outside the party, I have accepted the call and hereby advise the people of Zimbabwe that I offer myself as candidate for the office of president.”

Makoni, 57, said he would challenge Mugabe as an independent.

Mugabe, who has ruled the former British colony since independence in 1980, is hoping to secure a sixth term in office at joint parliamentary and presidential elections on March 29.

Makoni’s decision to launch a challenge came a day after what was largely seen as a token gesture to appease Mugabe by filing his CV to stand for MP in Makoni Central was rejected by Zanu PF officials in Manicaland province.

Until Makoni’s announcement on Tuesday, Mugabe had been expected to win the election unchallenged by a weak and divided opposition.

The two feuding opposition MDC factions – one led by Morgan Tsvangirai, and another by Arthur Mutambara – failed to agree on a unity pact over the weekend, weakening their challenge against Mugabe’s 28-year dominance of local politics.

Speculation has been rife that some party stalwarts opposed to Mugabe may launch a breakaway party this week to field a candidate for the poll.

Makoni’s biggest challenge is proving he is his own man after months of dithering and failing to comment publicly on speculation linking him with a presidential challenge. Political analysts see him as a coward and very much part of the Zanu PF political fabric.

“He is a Zanu PF team player and follower far more than he is a dissenter and leader,” said Chido Makunike, a political commentator.

But what Makoni has going for him is cross-party political support. He is seen appealing to moderates on both sides, and also independents. Makoni also enjoys support of western countries where he is seen as a reformer.

Some African leaders wary of the MDC’s affinity with western countries, particularly Britain and America, will likely back him only as a way of getting rid of Mugabe’s troublesome politics.
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