Opposition Leader Won’t Contest 2023 Election
Hosiah Chipanga a musician, pastor and politician says he is no longer interested in contesting the 2023 presidential election after he met President Emmerson Mnangagwa face to face.
He said he launched his political to trick the President into meeting him. He said:
“I will no longer contest elections in 2023. I will vote for President Mnangagwa. My party was a trick to make me meet the President of my country. For the past 40 years, I have tried by all means known to me to meet the President of my country, the late and the current one to no avail. I was very elated to meet with President Mnangagwa at Beaulieu Primary School in the Mutasa South constituency. It was an emotional moment for me since I was yearning to see him for some time now.”
The eclectic Mutare-based veteran musician who confusingly praises and criticizes the government as and when it is convenient for him went on to say that he had formed his party just to get ED's attention.
“I will not contest as a leader of an opposition party in the 2023 harmonized elections. I entered into politics as a way of getting a platform to meet with the First Citizen. How can I stand as an opposition leader when my wishes are fulfilled?”
Hosiah Chipanga's antics feed into the long held narrative that the numerous presidential candidates in Zimbabwe's 2018 elections were ZANU-PF proxies. Names like Bryan Mteki, Linda Masarira and 20 other presidential aspirants (who got a combined less than 1% of the votes) went AWOL as soon as 2018 elections were done. They had served their purpose which was to confuse the voters.
