Tshinga Dube confident of Zanu-PF victory

ASPIRING Makokoba legislator Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube says he is confident Zanu-PF will win the seat in his fourth attempt to represent the constituency in Parliament.

Speaking at the party's inter-district meeting at McDonald Hall in Mzilikazi yesterday, Rtd Col Dube said it was time the revolutionary party wins in Bulawayo to facilitate the city's revival efforts.

"I'm ready to take on my competitors and this time, we are winning that seat. We have to learn from our past mistakes as a party and work on addressing Bulawayo's needs, chief among them unemployment and lack of title deeds," he said.

"We saw the collapse of industry and so far no one has been able to revive it. The Bulawayo City Council has been illegally demanding rent from many people who have been paying rent for more than 20 years now and its time people got their title deeds."

He said for a long time, campaign programmes had focused on Zanu-PF members only which had cost the party in Bulawayo.

"I urge all supporters to stop centralising the party in their homes because it is not only their families that will make us win, but the people whom they ignore in their programmes. Every Zanu-PF member must at least win over about 10 members to the party so we win these elections," Rtd Col Dube said.

The Makokoba aspiring MP's rallies will commence tomorrow and stretch to June 9, a day before the actual voting when he is expected to handover a bus bought for Highlanders Football Club to the team at Barbourfields Stadium. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to officiate at the handover ceremony.

Rtd Col Dube, who recently returned from India for eye treatment, told the meeting that he was fit to shrug competition from his rivals.

"Most independent candidates want to take people for a ride and I believe it is time we as a party prioritised addressing problems. I'm ready to bring change to this city and I know people have since realised that fighting and concentrating on surnames in splitting parties will not take us anywhere. We need change and I will work towards bringing about that change after June 10."

Fourteen parliamentary seats are up for grabs following the recalling of MDC Renewal Team members after they defected from the MDC-T to the Renewal Team.