Stay loyal to Dr Nkomo, vote Zanu-PF, says Khaya Moyo

ZANU-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo has said that the people of Mangwe in Matabeleland South need to stay loyal to the ruling party as doing so meant they would be showing loyalty to one of Zimbabwe's founding fathers, late nationalist and the country's former Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.

Amb Khaya Moyo said this at a rally in Hobodo, Mangwe where the party's top provincial leadership had converged to drum up support for Cde Hlalani Mguni, who is standing for the party in the Mangwe seat by-election slated for 7 September.  The seat fell vacant following the death of Zanu-PF deputy chief whip Cde Obedingwa Mguni in June after a short illness. Cde Hlalani is the late Parliamentarian's widow.

Speaking at the rally, Amb Moyo said by re-electing a Zanu-PF candidate, people in Mangwe would be reaffirming their support of Dr Joshua Nkomo, the architect of the unity and peace that is prevalent in the country after the signing of the 1987 Unity Accord.

"When we talk about Zanu-PF we are talking about the union of Zanu and Zapu. When our father (Dr Nkomo) left he said I'm leaving you here and this is where I want you to stay when I'm gone. You're not allowed to leave umdala and say let me try another party. Joshua Nkomo was the only person that managed to unite everyone from Plumtree to Mutare and from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls. We all had never known such unity before him. We only knew that we were children of the soil," he said

Amb Khaya Moyo said because of Dr Joshua Nkomo, Matabeleland South deserved to call itself the cradle of Zimbabwean politics, as it had gifted the country a visionary who mentored some of the country's most influential politicians.

"Matabeleland South is a well-respected province. All the country's major politics came from a young man from this province in the name of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo," he said.

Amb Khaya Moyo acknowledged the ruling party's deep roots in Matabeleland South, saying that voters should be wary of those that wanted to reap the fruits of the ruling party's hard work in Mangwe.

"This is a big day for us as a party because it is known that Hobodo is a Zanu-PF stronghold. I heard there are going to be seven other candidates on the ballot together with our own candidate. My question to them is where were they all this time? While we were busy sowing where were they? They want to come now that it's time to eat? When we launched this campaign our national commissar said it is not for us to decide to change from the direction that our father gave us," he said.

Amb Khaya Moyo said if Cde Mguni was elected, he did not expect her to neglect her constituency.

"MP means Member of Parliament and not missing person. We don't want people who disappear after an election . . . So today I'm introducing you to someone who comes from a hardworking home. She's also personally a hard worker and she knows the organisation. She is also someone who has compassion and knows how to treat people," he said.

Amb Khaya Moyo added that the ruling party would soon be intensifying its fight against graft.

"Zanu-PF is bigger than all of us. I say this because Zanu-PF is the people. It is a major institution. We can all fit in the pocket of Zanu-PF but you can't fit Zanu-PF into your pocket. Respect the party at all times. There's is lot of thieving in high places. There's a lot of corruption. People are growing obese because of ill gotten wealth. The President has said he does not want to hear of corruption. If your neighbour is stealing it is your duty to report them to the police," he said.

At the rally, Matabeleland South Political Commissar Cde Japhet Dube said the party will intensify its campaign activities in the coming days, with party representatives expected to camp in the area for voter education and door-to-door campaigns until the day of the poll.