An associate Professor in the Department of Public Management at Tshwane University of Technology, Prof Ricky Mukonza says not much has been done to address challenges of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
This comes as that country will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Wednesday.
The candidate of the ruling Zanu-PF party, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is being challenged by Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and nine other contenders.
Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF has been in power for the past 43 years.
Mkhonza says in Zimbabwe every election has been disputed since 2002 and history is likely to repeat itself .
He says, “What has been happening in the past year or so pertaining to the issues, the use of violence of opposition, oppression on political supporters and the use of the judiciary system to persecute opposition political leaders, all those things do not [inspire] confidence in the whole process. All these things do not really give one hope that the outcome of this election will not be contested particularly if the opposition losses.”
Mukonza says even if Zanu-PF has an incumbent advantage, it has been consistently failing to address Zimbabwe’s socio-economic challenges over the years.
“If things were equal Nelson Chamisa would take it because Zanu-PF has performed badly in governance, but the pronounced winner may not be the one that majority of Zimbabweans want.”
VIDEO: Interview with Prof Ricky Mukonza ahead of Zim polls:
