Zapu confirms ‘talks’ with People First

Politics
ZAPU regional spokesperson Iphuthile Maphosa has confirmed that his party has held informal unification talks with the Zanu PF breakaway outfit, People First, as part of efforts to build a strong coalition to challenge the ruling Zanu PF party in the 2018 elections. Maphosa said similar efforts to engage the MDCs had come to naught.

ZAPU regional spokesperson Iphuthile Maphosa has confirmed that his party has held informal unification talks with the Zanu PF breakaway outfit, People First, as part of efforts to build a strong coalition to challenge the ruling Zanu PF party in the 2018 elections.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

Maphosa said similar efforts to engage the MDCs had come to naught.

People First, linked to former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and other axed Zanu PF officials, is yet to be officially launched as a political party, but has been quick to embrace calls for unity.

 Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru
Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru

Mujuru recently unveiled her manifesto in what has been viewed as a build-up to the launch of the party.

“The talks have been informal in the sense that they have not officially launched their party. Our understanding is that formal talks will take place once their party is launched,” Maphosa said in an interview on Monday.

The Dumiso Dabengwa-led Zapu has held unity talks with nearly all the MDCs, but nothing has really come out of it, save for the temporary unity pact with Welshman Ncube’s MDC towards the 2013 elections.

Analysts have urged opposition parties to form a grand coalition to unseat President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, but warned that the project could be strangled by individual leaders’ personal egos.