President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF party claims that Zimbabweans have more freedoms now than when they were under former President Robert Mugabe, who ruled the southern African nation for more than 38 years.
Some members of the party say the toppling of Mr. Mugabe by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in conjunction with then vice president Mnangagwa, has led to the creation of a peaceful environment in which people are free to express themselves and vote for parties of their choice despite serious challenges in transforming the nation into a fully democratic state.
Ruling party activists say Zimbabweans should work together to tackle the current economic crisis, which has resulted in the skyrocketing of prices of basic commodities, crippling food shortages and other issues since Mnangagwa was elected president in July this year.
But the opposition says Mnangagwa has failed to revitalize the country’s economy and as a result he appears to be worse than Mugabe, he removed from power with the help of the army, exactly a year ago.
The army claimed that it wanted to arrest so-called criminals surrounding Mugabe when it intervened and removed him from office, saying it had the constitutional mandate to do so.
Zanu PF’s Believe Gaule, a member of the party’s powerful Central Committee, said Mnangagwa has transformed the political landscape in the country for the benefit of all Zimbabweans.
“People are now happier than they were under Mugabe. They are free to choose leaders and to publicly express themselves in political matters. All this was not heard of under Mugabe.”
The Movement for Democratic Change led by Nelson Chamisa and other opposition parties say Mugabe’s ouster has not led to meaningful economic development in Zimbabwe.