The Zimbabwe Community Party (ZCP) has called for unity of the working class and peasants in Zimbabwe, saying that the division between the two groups is being exploited by the ruling ZANU(PF) party and its main rival, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
In a statement, the ZCP said that both political parties are ideologically trapped in the mantra of “Making Money Makes Sense”, and that they both reject national planning in favor of “free enterprise”.
“The history of Zimbabwean politics is complicated. We have seen some Communist Parties congratulating ZANU(PF) on its electoral victory against the Western-backed CCC. We understand this position, but the truth is far more complex. While hiding behind the finger of anti-imperialism, ZANU(PF) continues to be a party led by greedy and violent elitists enjoying an extravagant lifestyle of conspicuous consumption,” the party said in a statement,
“But that CCC, the successor of MDC, indeed enjoys the support of Western imperialism and in particular that of the USA and UK, is without dispute.”
The ZCP said that the people in the urban areas, in particular the urban working class, vote mainly for CCC due to having witnessed the de-industrialisation of Zimbabwe and the decline in real wages and living standards under ZANU(PF) rule.
On the other hand, the ZCP said that most of the rural population perceive the CCC as an organisation opposed to the land reform that began in 2000. The majority of the rural population believed that a CCC government would return their land to the white farmers.
The ZCP said that it finds this division very disturbing and that it is fighting for the unity of the oppressed classes.
On elections, the opposition party said future elections should be guided by the 2013 Constitution and the SADC guidelines to avoid any contestations.
Zanu PF and CCC are at loggerheads over the recent general election which the latter claims was rigged to give Emmerson Mnangagwa another term as president.
ZCP also said it opposed the holding of national and local elections simultaneously.
“Local concerns become buried by this process, yet it is frequently at the local level that people can make decisions which better their lives,” the party said.
