News / National
Mujuru rally attracts 100 people
30 Mar 2016 at 06:50hrs | Views
FORMER vice president Joice Mujuru's People First party failed to attract the bumper crowd it expected in Victoria Falls after about 100 people attended its rally on Sunday.
Stakes were high for the rally as people of Victoria Falls were last year in June promised money for projects when the party, then operating underground, organised a meeting which also became a non-event as officials from Harare failed to turn up.
The few who braved the scorching sun complained about being misled especially after the party organisers failed to even give them water to drink.
Some dismissed the party as being broke judging from a "tattered" tent at the venue - Mfelandawonye football pitch.
The organisers moved the rally from Chinotimba Stadium to Mfelandawonye at the 11th hour after, sources said, they failed to raise money required to hire the ground from the local authority.
People followed proceedings from their houses near the pitch while the few that came stood afar under some trees.
Mujuru was not present at the low key rally which was addressed by an administrator from her office in Harare, Cougan Matanhire.
Victoria Falls war veteran and businessman Christopher Ndiweni, who is the party's member of the national security, Maxwell Makhosini Mkandla, the co-ordinator for Matabeleland North Province and his counterpart for Bulawayo province Esnath Bulayani, addressed the gathering.
Matanhire said the rally was meant to introduce the party to the people.
"This meeting is meant to introduce the party to you. We want you to know that the party is real. It's not an extension of Zanu-PF as is being said by some sections. All you can do now is to make sure you're registered so that when elections come we can change people's lives," he said.
Ndiweni, who crossed over from Zanu-PF recently, said other parties were "busy abusing people without empowering" them.
The deposed Mujuru officially launched the party last month with her allies such as Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa who were ousted from the ruling party for allegedly plotting to oust and assassinate President Robert Mugabe.
The party's manifesto rides on the proposed Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development (Build).
Stakes were high for the rally as people of Victoria Falls were last year in June promised money for projects when the party, then operating underground, organised a meeting which also became a non-event as officials from Harare failed to turn up.
The few who braved the scorching sun complained about being misled especially after the party organisers failed to even give them water to drink.
Some dismissed the party as being broke judging from a "tattered" tent at the venue - Mfelandawonye football pitch.
The organisers moved the rally from Chinotimba Stadium to Mfelandawonye at the 11th hour after, sources said, they failed to raise money required to hire the ground from the local authority.
People followed proceedings from their houses near the pitch while the few that came stood afar under some trees.
Victoria Falls war veteran and businessman Christopher Ndiweni, who is the party's member of the national security, Maxwell Makhosini Mkandla, the co-ordinator for Matabeleland North Province and his counterpart for Bulawayo province Esnath Bulayani, addressed the gathering.
Matanhire said the rally was meant to introduce the party to the people.
"This meeting is meant to introduce the party to you. We want you to know that the party is real. It's not an extension of Zanu-PF as is being said by some sections. All you can do now is to make sure you're registered so that when elections come we can change people's lives," he said.
Ndiweni, who crossed over from Zanu-PF recently, said other parties were "busy abusing people without empowering" them.
The deposed Mujuru officially launched the party last month with her allies such as Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa who were ousted from the ruling party for allegedly plotting to oust and assassinate President Robert Mugabe.
The party's manifesto rides on the proposed Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development (Build).
Source - chronicle
