Minister blasts US for alleged support of opposition in Zimbabwe elections
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Fredrick Shava, has accused the United States of revealing its support for the opposition by expressing discontent over the ruling party’s victory in the disputed August 23 and 24 elections.
Shava’s comments came in response to recent travel restrictions imposed by Washington on Zimbabweans accused of election rigging and political violence leading up to and following the polls.
Although election observer missions, including the one from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), noted that the elections failed to meet local, regional, and international standards for free and fair elections, Shava dismissed these concerns, suggesting they were merely a result of sour grapes.
“They [the United States] will always be ranting whenever they feel that their allies are losing ground. We have not done anything to the opposition except to present ourselves and them to the people,” Shava stated during an interview with NewsDay on the sidelines of a diplomat training institute’s handover ceremony.
Shava further emphasized that the preference for the ruling Zanu PF party among the electorate determined the election outcome, adding that the US claims of interference were baseless.
“The cry that they want to punish people who are preventing ‘democracy’ from taking place is their own cry. It is not our cry,” Shava remarked.
