Mujuru in night rallies

NATIONAL People's Party (NPP) leader Joice Mujuru has resorted to night rallies as she intensify her campaign to woo supporters at ward level as the 2018 general elections fast approach.

Mujuru, who is building her structures amid defections and internal strife within NPP, has already held four night rallies in Tafara, Mabvuku, Mufakose and Kuwadzana in her bid to address all 1 958 wards in the country ahead of the 2018 general elections.

NPP secretary-general Gift Nyandoro, who also doubles as her spokesperson and acting treasurer-general, said the rallies were a reincarnation of pungwes (night vigils) which were common during the war of liberation.

"Mai Mujuru addressed supporters in Kuwadzana last night (Monday) in one of her weekly pungwes with povho (members of the public). It's a roller-coaster programme that is done on a daily basis and the aim is for the president to address every single of the 1 958 wards in Zimbabwe before the 2018 elections," he
said.

Mujuru supporters held mock guns made of dry maize stalks and rolled on the ground while singing songs that were popular during the night pungwes held at the height of the liberation war.

Nyandoro said the ward meetings were to ensure that NPP builds grassroot support while delivering a strong message on what the party stands for and what it seeks to achieve.

"The aim is to tell Zimbabweans what NPP stands for, among many other important messages, which include the president encouraging Zimbabweans to register in the coming voter registration exercise, to go and vote en masse and avoid voter apathy because Zimbabweans owe it to themselves to liberate the country from (President Robert) Mugabe hegemony," he said.

Mujuru will be looking to challenge her former boss for the top job in the country after she was unceremoniously pushed off the citadel of power in embarrassing fashion by Zanu-PF, a party she had worked for most of her life.