Staff ReporterDisgraced former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo has discredited a recent survey conducted by the SABI Strategy Group, based in London, which showed that opposition leader Nelson Chamisa will beat incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the upcoming elections. Moyo has labeled the survey as a display of “fatal desperation” that lacks objectivity.
The survey results showed that if elections were held now, Chamisa would receive 53% of the vote, Mnangagwa would receive 40%, and other parties would receive 7%. The survey was conducted using a 15-minute questionnaire, where voters were asked to indicate which candidate they would vote for in the next presidential election. The pollsters claimed that the results were based on a nationally representative sample of 1,000 registered voters.
However, Moyo has argued that the research group is not independent, and putting faith in an online survey is a desperate move as it does not reflect the reality on the ground. He added that the group was paid by the Brenthurst Foundation, founded by the Oppenheimer family, and is therefore not impartial. He also questioned the validity of the survey, asking who provided the phone numbers of the registered voters.
The survey also indicated that 47% of the voters believe the 2023 election will not be fair, while 38% believed it will be. The ruling Zanu PF party has dismissed the survey as flawed, accusing the researchers of being biased towards the opposition and trying to drum up support for Chamisa.