The Sunday Mail
Shamiso Yikoniko in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister and 2015 Presidential aspirant Mr Mathias Chikawe has spoken of his great admiration for President Mugabe, saying the African Union Chair has the continent’s good at heart.
He also described President Mugabe’s age (91) as “nothing but a number”.
In an interview at his offices here on June 18, 2015 Minister Chikawe said; “President Mugabe is a great man. I have always admired his resilience and feistiness for Zimbabwe. He does it for nobody else but Zimbabweans and Africans.
“He is one of the few leaders who can stand up, like our late (Mwalimu) Julius Nyerere used to, and tell the world what he really thinks.”
He said Tanzania would pluck a leaf from Zimbabwe’s robust electoral system when the East African country holds its national polls in October.
Minister Chikawe added that age was inconsequential in polls, as seen by President Mugabe’s thunderous victory in the 2013 harmonised elections, which was premised on his pro-people policies.
“In an election, it’s the people who decide what they want and we have always believed in that. What we have learnt from Zimbabwe is that a country can have a leader and age isn’t an issue in leadership.
“And that’s why a few days ago, 73-year-old former Chief Justice Augustino Ramadhani took nomination forms to vie for the Presidency. And everybody is saying, ‘Why not, he has a chance.’ Age isn’t a matter of concern as long as you know what the people want. Eventually, it’s the people who decide.”
On bilateral relations, he said; “Zimbabwe and Tanzania have warm relations, dating back to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. The late Ndabaningi Sithole and Joshua Nkomo were here and, eventually, President Mugabe came and our relationship has remained resilient.
“Zanu-PF and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania ruling party) are very close. Whenever either of them holds their congress, we make it a point that there is representation. In December 2014, our secretary-general graced the ruling Zanu-PF’s Congress.”
Tanzania goes to the polls in October to elect a President, MPs and local government representatives.
President Jakaya Kikwete will not stand as he is seeing out his second and final term.
Minister Chikawe, Retired Chief Justice Ramadhani and Dr Nyerere’s fifth son, Mr Charles Makongoro Nyerere, are among the 40 CCM members vying for the Presidency.
The CCM constitution states that at least 200 party members from a minimum 10 regions should lodge presidential nomination papers with the party’s secretariat.
The secretariat then grades the papers after which the Central Committee — by consensus — cuts the number of applicants to five.
These applicants are further trimmed to three by the National Executive Committee and the National Congress will ultimately vote for the sole candidate.
Zimbabwe and Tanzania have shared cordial relations since the former’s armed struggle against Ian Smith’s settler regime, with Dr Nyerere’s government setting up military training camps in Mgagao and Morogoro and facilitating arms supply.
Tanzania also helped other Southern African countries fight colonialism and gain independence.
In 2014, President Mugabe implored the African Union to honour Dr Nyerere.
