EFF Leader Julius Malema has given “brotherly advice” to newly elected Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, urging him to make way for younger leadership
The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema has called on newly elected Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to only serve one term in office, so as to allow young leaders to takeover.
The ZANU-PF leader claimed victory in the presidential polls, scoring 50.8 percent of the total votes, while the main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)’s Nelson Chamisa, who received 44.3% of the votes. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced the results in the early hours of Friday morning.
“We call upon Mnangagwa to serve one term, he’s too old. We hope President Mnangagwa will not want to go for the second term. Let ZANU-PF begin a process of producing younger people who’ll compete with Chamisa”, Malema told reporters. “This is…. brotherly advice”, he continued.
The ruling party seems far from heeding the call for younger leadership in Zimbabwe, with Mnangagwa being 75, versus his competitor Chamisa, who is 40.
Meanwhile Chamisa still insists he won the election, labelling the official results as “fraudulent, illegal, illegitimate and characterised by serious credibility gaps”.
Violence erupted on the streets of Harare on Wednesday, 1 August 2018, after the ZEC revealed that ZANU-PF was in the lead in the parliamentary vote contest. MDC Alliance supporters protested the announcement in clashes with troops, alleging vote rigging. Three people were reportedly killed in the aftermath of the unrest, which prompted Mnangagwa to call for peace.
A total 23 candidates took part in the election; some 55 parties also contested the parliamentary election, the biggest number by far since the country gained independence. Prior to the election, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled in May 2018 that Zimbabweans living abroad could not vote due to residency regulations.
Thabo Baloyi
t.baloyi@politicalanalysis.co.za
