Zim PF breakaway party, the National People’s Party (NPP) led by former Vice President, Dr Joyce Mujuru boycotted yesterday’s National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) demonstration accusing the organisers of using them to get funding which in turn is pocketed by a few.
NPP, says its members are being used only to source funding which is pocketed by a few, an allegation which has been dismissed by NERA saying NPP is just politicking and still having a Zanu Pf relic.
NERA Secretary General Mr Joelson Mugari said ignoring the need for electoral reforms ahead of 2018 elections and picking fights with other opposition parties is retrogressive.
“We are facing a big challenge with the political party NPP in the sense that most of the members of NPP are still having Zanu Pf DNA in them, so they are failing to actually admit working with others.
“So as much as you are in opposition and trying to fight another opposition then automatically we regard such elements as Zanu Pf, those are infiltrators,” said Mugari
NPP said it is distancing itself from yesterday’s NERA demonstrations as the party benefits nothing except for being used to gain donor funds which only benefit a few, yet their members incur medical, legal and financial costs during such events.
Munyaradzi Banda, the NPP Interim Harare Provincial Chairperson called NERA an ‘illusory’ agenda only set to gain MDC-T mileage with its sponsored youths calling for his party’s removal from the Agenda.
MDC-T Youth Assembly national spokesperson, Brian Dube dismissed the allegations saying NERA is a national movement not just for his party.
“NERA is a national and multi-party agenda and is not for mileage but reforms. No one is financed to demand reforms and demanding reforms is not done on behalf of the MDC-T but for the greater good of our national democratic processes,” said Dube.
One of the members from Transform Zimbabwe party, which is under NERA, who has been helping with funding said member parties make contributions towards such events and Dr Mujuru is just but trying to divide the opposition.
“Most of the people who help NERA are encouraged to pay for stuff directly like posters and fliers.
“NERA officials handle very little cash and on this particular demo, money received was less than $1 500.
“Mai Mujuru is lying and trying to divide the opposition which is not right. How does she expect to win elections if she is not fighting for reforms?
“They should actually produce evidence and this is not the first time these allegations have been labelled against NERA,” he said.
Yesterday’s NERA demonstration was against government’s decision to take over the procurement of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits.
