By-elections campaign launch this week

AHEAD of the by-elections pencilled for March 26, President Mnangagwa is this week expected to launch the Zanu-PF campaign where he will enunciate game-changing policies that his administration is implementing to make Zimbabwe an upper-middle-class economy by 2030.

The elections are also coming at a time when the ruling party is steering the economy towards sustainable growth as is stated in the economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1.

Last year, President Mnangagwa gifted urbanites title deeds as the central Government moved in to end the rot in local authorities that have been in the hands of corruption-ridden and often incompetent opposition parties.

At a media briefing at the party's headquarters yesterday, Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Mike Bimha said the party was going into the by-elections as a response to the needs of the people and as such, is expecting to win resoundingly.

"The party is ready and is up to the task. The massive roll-out of the campaign activities is underway and we expect the President and First Secretary of the party Cde Mnangagwa to launch the by-election campaign this week.

"The by-elections are and should be about the achievements of the Second Republic, not just in launching and driving an agenda for sustainable development, but equally responding to very specific needs of the people.

"The focus of our campaign is to reinforce confidence in the policies of the New Dispensation and an assured march towards the achievement of vision 2030," said Cde Bimha.

Cde Bimha also said the party had noted with interest the heightened enthusiasm around the elections and was therefore determined to reassert its power in both rural and urban areas.

Speaking about the nomination process of candidates participating in the by-elections, Cde Bimha said all of them passed the process.

"The party would like all its members and structures, participating in the forthcoming by-elections for both the House of Assembly and local authorities in the designated constituencies and wards, to know that all our candidates made it through the nomination process. That is quite pleasing.

"A circular directing how the party should prepare the campaign has been issued and we trust that work in that regard is in full swing," he added.

Cde Bimha said the revolutionary party was putting faith in the people to build their own country guided by the policies of the party and Government as espoused in the "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo" slogan.

He emphasised that the upcoming by-elections are not a fulfilment of "a ritual periodicity" but to win for the party and the people of Zimbabwe.

"Zanu-PF relies on the people of Zimbabwe and on our own resources to move this country forward and to consolidate the position of the party."

He said apart from bringing economic stability, President Mnangagwa was transforming the country through the rapid construction of roads, dams, and other key infrastructure projects that had found resonance with the populace.

After so many years of incessant droughts, the country last year recorded a bumper harvest through people-tailored programmes such as Pfumvudza, while industrialisation and modernisation has also gathered pace going as far as to formerly marginalised rural areas such as Mwenezi where a multi-million marula/mapfura processing and value addition plant has begun operations.