Opposition parties question ANC’s Zanu-PF invite to elections
Opposition parties have criticised the ANC's decision to invite Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF as its “guests” during the upcoming elections.
In a story published by the IOL on Wednesday, Zanu-PF has been invited by the ANC to join its electioneering team in the run-up to the May 29 elections.
RISE Mzansi labelled the decision as astounding “considering the history of rigged elections, elections violence and political intolerance in Zimbabwe”.
"The idea that the ANC and, by extension, government would cosy up with Zanu-PF is shocking but not unexpected from a political organisation that is fast losing legitimacy among voters, who have indicated that they are ready to vote for new leaders, particularly in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, as well as at the national level,” said the party's national spokesperson Gugu Ndima
"This overture by the ANC is no different to the DA writing to the United States government requesting election observers," she said.
Meanwhile, the DA said the decision compromises the Electoral Code of Conduct that all political parties swore to uphold.
"Zanu-PF does not deserve to even act as an observer to the May elections because this is the same political party that that has repeatedly violated Zimbabwe’s electoral laws to stay in power,” it said in a statement.
"The DA will be lodging an official complaint with the IEC over this direct political interference in the election and the potential harm that it could bring on the credibility of the outcome. We simply can’t allow a foreign political party to actively pursue a partisan political agenda on behalf of the ANC.”
The governing party has defended the move, saying their Zimbabwean counterparts would not be involved in monitoring the elections.
“The conflation between party activities and observer status as per the IEC processes is a deliberate ploy by the opposition to distort long established conventions. Just as the ANC has always been a guest of our sister liberation parties, we too extend the same courtesy and invite them as our guests,” said ANC Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane.
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