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WHY MDC ALLIANCE LOST THE ELECTIONS

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The elections in Zimbabwe have come and gone and just like in any contest, there had to be a winner and a loser. In this instance,  Zanu PF emerged victorious after capturing 145 out of the 210 parliamentary seats with the closest rival, the MDC Alliance capturing 63 seats. The other three seats were won by the National Patriotic Front, and two by independents. In the Presidential elections, Emmerson Mnangagwa won with 2 460 463 votes, (50.8%) to Nelson Chamisa’s 2 147 436 votes (44.3 %).  Touted as the most peaceful poll in  post-independent Zimbabwe, the elections and have since been endorsed by SADC, COMESA, AU Observer Missions, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) among other Observer groups. Although in its interim report released on 1 August 2018, the EU observer mission was rather critical of the playing field not being level in terms of fair access to state broadcasting for all parties, they too stated that “The campaign was largely peaceful, with freedoms of mo

WHY CHAMISA HAS NO VICE PRESIDENT

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...A CLOSER LOOK AT THE POSSIBLE CANDIDATES WITHIN THE MDC ALLIANCE from left, Welshman Ncube, Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti: Picture credit, NehandaRadio NELSON Chamisa, presidential candidate of the MDC Alliance in April stated through some of his officials, that a Vice President and therefore running mate, would be named soon. Five days before the elections, there is still no running mate in sight and there is serious doubt that one will be named. What however is surprising is the fact that no one within the Alliance is finding this odd. Chamisa must have made a deliberate decision that he will not name a VP and runing mate. What could have been the factors at play? In Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta ran for President in 2013 under the umbrella of Jubilee Alliance with his running mate being William Ruto of United Republican Party (URP). People knew what that meant as Ruto would bring his Kalenjin vote to join forces with the Kikuyu vote for Uhuru in that country’s ethnically

RESIST THE POLITICS OF POLARISATION

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The two presidential candidates from Left Nelson Chamisa, and Emmerson Mnangagwa  LAST week I read a post which suggested that; "Cataract is the third major cause of blindness. Religion and Politics remain the first two." This assertion rings true in the case of Zimbabwe two weeks ahead of a watershed election pitting Zanu PF's Emmerson Mnangagwa or ED as he is popularly referred to and Nelson Chamisa who goes by the moniker Nero who is the MDC Alliance candidate. The two heavyweights are vying for the presidency. Both political figures are bringing something fresh. However, their supporters are unwavering in the sense that they neither hear or see no evil perpetrated by their candidate. What is of major concern is the growing intolerance of the supporters of these two presidential candidates. Those who hate ED hate him to the core and cannot see anything good in him and the same goes for the charismatic Nero. It is important that the leaders do not fan these

Thokozani Khupe, a force to be reckoned with

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Can Thokozani Khupe take us to Canaan Thokozani Khupe addressing a rally, pic credit Bulawayo24   One thing that I learnt when I was covering the United States of America's 2012 election which was won by Barack Obama was that it is possible for politics to be about issues and not about individuals. This experience also taught me that as the media we also play a pertinent role in the democratic process of election by speaking truth to power and by covering all electoral candidates without fear, favour and prejudice. Our role is that of informing the masses about the candidates so that they can make an informed decision come 30 July in the case of Zimbabwe. This week my focus is on a presidential candidate who will be running on the MDC- T ticket. Born on November 18, 1963, in Bulawayo, Thokozani Khupe is not a novice to the world of politics. Profile Having represented her party at both Parliament and Presidium, she comes in with a wealth of experience an

HOW PRISCA GOT HER GROOVE BACK

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....Re-Defining Beauty against all odds Prisca Maguranyanga-Chireka, the brains behind Anaka PRISCA Maguranyanga Chireka is among the phenomenal women of Zimbabwe who are making waves in the beauty industry at home and abroad. Just like her contemporaries Jackie Mugido and RubyLynn who reside in the United States of America and Australia respectively, she has not only made her presence felt in the make up industry in the United Kingdom but has gone on to manufacture her own beauty products called Anaka. Her journey like many others who travel down this path has been marred with humps and bumps but amidst all this sheer determination and the belief in self and God won the day. In 2011, she was part of a panel of Judges made up of Godwell hairstylists Toby Andrews and Mike Vallance of Back to my roots that were invited by Canterbury College as Industry professionals at their annual hairdressing competition. The mother of two is not only passionate about making women look