Mugabe accused of bribing AU with $1 million ahead of 2018 election

Opposition parties have criticised President Robert Mugabe has been criticised for donating $1 million to the African Union (AU).

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu accused Mugabe of bribing the AU so that it does not respond with force if he rigs the 2018 elections. Said Gutu:

There’s a sinister motive in Mugabe’s weird donation to the AU. Remember, there are elections to be held in Zimbabwe in 2018. Mugabe and his faction-infested and bankrupt Zanu PF regime are desperate to rig these elections so that they can cling onto power. This purported donation to the AU is actually a bribe that is meant to soften the response of the AU in the event that next year’s elections are rigged.

National People’s Party (NPP) spokesman Methuseli Moyo accused Mugabe of trying to paint a picture of him being generous and caring when he authorised the killing of civilians during Gukurahundi and 2008 elections. Zimbabwe Communist Party secretary-general Ngqabutho Mabhena accused Mugabe of using the donation to conceal Zimbabwe’s to the outside world. When contacted by NewsDay for a comment, Information minister Chris Mushohwe dismissed the accusations, saying Mugabe only honoured a pledge as an honest person and had no intention of bribing anyone.

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