'Urban rot' worries Chiwenga

THE ruling Zanu-PF party is pained by the rot that has descended on urban areas under the watch of opposition led municipalities, which is slowing down the country's development towards an empowered upper-middle income economy, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.

VP Chiwenga said this when he addressed a Presidium Rally at Mbare Netball Complex open space earlier today. The rally drew thousands of Zanu-PF supporters from Mbare and Southerton constituencies.

It was meant to drum up support for President Mnangagwa, who is the revolutionary party's Presidential Elections candidate, as well as the party's house of assembly and council candidates in the August 23 national elections.

The party is being represented by Martin Matinyanya in Mbare constituency while Maureen Nyemba is standing for the party in the Southerton constituency.

The two constituencies, as has been the case with the majority of constituencies in Harare Metropolitan province and other urban dwellings, have been dominated by the opposition since the turn of the millennium resulting in a collapse of services, infrastructure and amenities.

This, said VP Chiwenga, has been a huge source of pain for the Second Republic particularly at a time President Mnangagwa is championing development in every corner of the country as informed by his "leaving no place and no one behind" thrust.

"The August 23 elections come on the backdrop of people in urban areas, whose councils are under opposition parties, having to endure several years of suffering in the absence of services that councils should provide," said VP Chiwenga.

"Urban roads have become impassable, clean water has long deserted our taps and garbage is largely uncollected, pilling near our homes.

"Their stints in councils have clearly shown that these opposition parties are not good at anything expect making lives difficult for residents and inviting illegal economic sanctions on the country.

"As the ruling party, we are pained to see our people being subjected to this sad kind of living marked by poverty as a result of opposition councils' ineptitude and corruption.

"August 23 is an opportunity to correct this by resoundingly voting for President Mnangagwa and ruling party candidates for council and parliamentary seats," said VP Chiwenga.

VP Chiwenga also spoke on the journey that the country has traveled with President Mnangagwa fostering development towards the attainment of an empowered upper middle-income economy.

He listed several infrastructure projects such as the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway, agriculture enhancing projects anchored on climate proof farming towards national food self-sufficiency, expanding the country's tourism contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, revamping the mining sector and several other economic enhancing programmes.