THE INTERVIEW
This month we speak to Transform Zimbabwe, a new party which was formed in
2013 with the mission of putting forward a prayer based agenda as a possible
solution to the country’s governance system. Below is an excerpt of the ZPP
interview with Transform Zimbabwe’s chief of protocol, David Rodhi Takaruza
(TZ).
ZPP: As a new party what is your take of the political landscape?
TZ: The political landscape is very distorted in favour of Zanu-PF.
ZPP: Any challenges that you are meeting?
TZ: Zanu-PF uses everything at their disposal to make sure that they shut us out. They
use entities such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the youth, Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission and institutions such as the army to make sure that they shut our other
political parties.
ZPP: How has all that impacted on you?
TZ: Zanu-PF is stopping at nothing to entrench its power and as Transform Zimbabwe
we are experiencing a lot of challenges in the political realm. The spirit of intolerance by
Zanu-PF is so strong that almost every gathering we have had since the inception of the
party has been violently challenges by Zanu-PF. (Many of) our meetings have been
disrupted by Zanu-PF if not disrupted there have been follow-ups of Transform
Zimbabwe members after the meetings by Zanu-PF posing as state security agents.
Another challenge we face is the Public Security and Order Act (POSA) we have to apply
for clearance for any of our meetings, but the police are very slow in clearing our
meetings. Without reason they will just say we are sorry we cannot clear your meeting
because Zanu-PF is having a meeting say in Kuwadzana and you are having yours in
Waterfalls and you will not be cleared because Zanu-PF is having a meeting elsewhere. It
becomes very difficult to operate in such an environment. The police want to be there, to
spy for Zanu-PF, to see who has spoken, who has attended. Because of that the spirit of
fear is being promoted by the police. ###
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