Bombing will not deter Zanu-PF, says Rugeje

Zanu-PF's campaign juggernaut will continue to roll peacefully ahead of July 30 harmonised elections as the ruling party was unperturbed by the heinous bombing at White City Stadium in Bulawayo last Saturday, the party National Political Commissar Lieutenant General Engelbert Rugeje (Retired) has said.

Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje said the ruling party would not allow cowards and desperate elements to derail its preparations for a peaceful, free, fair and credible election. He said the Zanu-PF Government, under the new dispensation, would continue to vigorously push for peaceful elections to help Zimbabwe regain its place on the table of global nations.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters during a campaign rally to drum up support for President Mnangagwa and the ruling party Bikita South Parliamentary candidate Josaya Sithole at Old Mashoko on Wednesday, said Zanu-PF was an unstoppable force eyeing victory in the coming elections. He said the cowardly act of bombing a fully subscribed Zanu-PF rally at White city stadium was done by the party's enemies miffed by its resurgence under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa.

"We are very grateful to the country's ancestors and to God the Almighty that our leader (President Mnangagwa) escaped unhurt and is safe and sound and as I am speaking to you President Mnangagwa is in Hwange officiating at a ground breaking ceremony for Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project," he said.

"The meeting was well-organised and you all heard in the press and on television that the meeting was well-attended and everything went well and as the leadership of the party led by President Mnangagwa was leaving the stage there was a bomb explosion. Nobody expected a bomb explosion, what happened is a case of an enemy miffed that Zanu-PF remains a formidable force that is unstoppable as we go for election and sought to derail the whole process."

Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje said the bombing sought to instil fear amongst Zimbabweans, particularly Zanu-PF supporters who had been thronging the ruling party's campaign rallies in droves as a show of overwhelming support.

"What happened was an act of desperation by forces who realised that Zanu-PF cannot be stopped and the bombing was a way of trying to stop the campaign juggernaut. They (enemies) are pained by what is happening, others thought Zanu-PF had lost its mojo but they are in shock. Zanu-PF cannot be stopped by what happened at White City, it is a small problem, which cannot trouble Zanu-PF and it's already in the past. We will not stop we are going." "Don't be cowed remain strong and forthright because an owl has no horns," said Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje.

"We hear some of our enemies are busy trying to make a mark on the campaign trail everywhere but the truth is that they are disturbed and in a state of disarray such that they can never stand in the way of Zanu-PF in every respect," he said.

The Zanu-PF National Political Commissar said the new Zanu-PF led by President Mnangagwa was driven by servant leadership and the importance of putting people first. He said Zanu-PF was now more focused on addressing real challenges that affected people's lives by prioritising more action compared to cheap politicking.

"Under the new dispensation the new Zanu-PF leadership led by President Mnangagwa is very practical and you can see what the leadership of the party led by President Mnangagwa has been doing throughout the country re-opening closed companies, rehabilitating roads and other infrastructure.

"We are an honest leadership that does not lie to the people, we do what we promise and we will never promise to do what we cannot do."

Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje said the new Zanu-PF leadership was against making false promises to the people as that will not take the party anywhere. He said the power to lead and govern was derived from the people hence it would be foolhardy to lie to them.

The people of Zimbabwe, he added, had the power to vote out leaders who make false promises hence Zanu-PF's new thrust to work tirelessly towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people. He reiterated calls for the ruling party members and its supporters to refrain from violence ahead of the coming elections for the plebiscite to be free, fair and credible.

Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje said the new dispensation wanted the coming elections to be credible as that will be a precursor to renewed confidence in the country by the international community, which was key to attracting the much-needed foreign direct investment to create jobs and grow the economy.

The Zanu-PF National Political Commissar called for reconciliation and unity within ruling party structures saying fissures caused by party internal polls should be closed with all forces working in unison. Turning to Bikita South, Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje said Government will continue to develop infrastructure in the area with fuel and other logistics having been put in place to upgrade the Nyika-Mashoko road that is in a bad state.

Earlier on Rtd Lt Gen Rugeje had led the crowd at the rally in observing a minute of silence in memory of two victims of last Saturday's bomb explosion at a Zanu-PF rally in Bulawayo. He told the crowd that despite suffering injuries at White City, he was now in good shape to continue his duties to mobilise support and ensure a runway victory for Zanu-PF in the coming polls.