SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
A capacity crowd witnessed the launch of the MDC-T election manifesto in Marondera on Sunday. Tsvangirai told party supporters to overwhelmingly vote his party into power in the upcoming elections to bring change to Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai also rubbished the threats made by President Mugabe about pulling out of SADC. During ZANU PF’s launch of its manifesto in Harare last week Friday, Mugabe threatened to pull Zimbabwe out of the 15-member regional grouping, apparently angry at the bloc’s insistence on the implementation of electoral reforms before elections on July 31.
The 89 year-old presidential candidate for ZANU PF caused a diplomatic storm after he described President Jacob Zuma’s foreign policy advisor Lindiwe Zulu as a ‘stupid and idiotic street woman.’ Tsvangirai accused Mugabe of failing to appreciate SADC’s role and castigated Mugabe’s ‘undiplomatic’ attack on Zulu.
The MDC-T manifesto titled; ‘A new Zimbabwe—the time is now’ seeks to streamline the country’ security services, who have for so long been acting with impunity.
Calls by political parties and SADC to reform the armed forces have been resisted by Mugabe, who banks on the support of his military junta. If the MDC-T wins the elections in three weeks time, the party has vowed to dissolve the Joint Operations Command and create in its place a National Security Council.
The 33 page MDC-T manifesto says the government will instill respect for human rights and the rights of the citizens while ensuring protection for the people, by exercising parliamentary oversight of the Central Intelligence Organization
‘The party will establish a National Security Council to coordinate security related actions, enforce a Code of Conduct for all service members and introducing a citizen protection law in accordance with the Constitution,’ the manifesto added.
Meanwhile, ZANU PF’s 2013 election campaign manifesto mainly focuses on indigenization and empowerment, the same theme the party used during the 2008 elections.
The 108 page document titled ‘Indigenize, Empower, Develop and Create Employment, outlines a number of key goals set to define the party’s policies over the next five years.
They include the usual mantra sovereignty, respect for the values and ideals of the liberation struggle, patriotism, employment, housing and economic prosperity.
In the manifesto, ZANU PF also outlines its past achievements that include the attainment of independence, the land reform programme, education, health, gender advancement and security.