Jabulani Sibanda calls for revitalisation of local industries

YOUTHS in Zanu-PF Bulawayo Province have vowed to ensure the party comes up with programmes and strategies that speak to the young people and improve their lives.

Thousands of youths were part of a large gathering that attended a Presidential Star Rally that was addressed by the party's Second Secretary and Vice-President, Kembo Mohadi in Nkulumane on Friday.

The rally was held as part of the ruling party's 26 March by-election campaign in Bulawayo in which it is contesting in two parliamentary seats and nine council wards.

Bulawayo Province has four youth leaders within the main wing provincial executive, three of whom hold the powerful positions of secretary for security Emmanuel Sunduza, secretary for information and publicity, Archie Chiponda and political commissar, Ruth Shelton.

Speaking on the sidelines of the star rally, Chiponda said the attendance by the youths in the province shows the regeneration within the party.

"The attendance at today's (Friday) Presidential Star Rally shows that the youth element in Zanu-PF is very much alive. The opposition cannot keep peddling the narrative that they own the youth.

This star rally proves that the revolutionary party is concerned with the youth who have now also come to realise that this is their home, the home of progress and national development. Within the provincial executive, four out of 10 members are under the age of 40," said Chiponda.

Provincial political commissar Shelton echoed the same sentiments saying she was happy with the turnout which spoke out to the frustrations of urban youth with the failing opposition.

"Youths have become tired of being lied to by the opposition. They have now realised that there is nothing that the opposition can do or is doing for them.

The large turnout by the youth is testament of the support of the youth for Zanu-PF. This is a sign that the youths are saying enough is enough.

The youth see the rot in the city and like Mohadi said, they are asking themselves one key question: if they cannot run a city how can we expect them (opposition) to run a country," she said.

Bulawayo Zanu-PF provincial chairperson Jabulani Sibanda, called on the party to work towards job creation for the youths while also welcoming the election of the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube into the provincial executive.

Sibanda asked Mohadi to assist in ensuring that re-capacitating industries and factories in Bulawayo is given priority at national level.

"Vice-President we as Bulawayo have concerns and these concerns are primarily centered on the revitalisation of local industries.

Bulawayo Province is an urban province and our youths do not have farming land or other such agro-based benefits like rural youth.

They need jobs. We need the industries and factories to be re-opened so that our children don't have to go to South Africa where we know they are unwanted and generally abused.

We are lucky that we now have the Minister of Finance as part of our provincial executive and we have already tabled these problems to him and we are hoping that soon, he will be able to do something about this and provide his support for our efforts," Sibanda said.

He also urged the Central Government to find ways to safeguard the already depressed local job market from non-locals.

"Just because someone comes from wherever and opens a business in Bulawayo does not mean they must also bring employees into Bulawayo.

We have able youths here and whatever cultural background they come from, as long as they are Bulawayo youths, they must be employed in Bulawayo," said Sibanda.

During his keynote address, Mohadi said he had been sent by President Mnangagwa to preside over the rally with a special plea to the people in Bulawayo that they need to vote for Zanu-PF, which is a party with a vision for people's development.

"For the first time our development is guided by Vision 2030 which captures the aspirations of our people for development. It is hoped that by the end of that period, Zimbabwe would have achieved an upper middle-income economy.

The National Development Strategy 1 sets out specific steps to be taken in our journey towards our vision and this vision is not only for Zanu-PF, but for every Zimbabwean. Such a vision makes His Excellency a national leader and no prisoner to partisan politics.

"Our development is internally driven. Although with support from friendly countries, we are largely using local resources to develop our country.

Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanini balo. I wish I could explain to the people that most of our money is dedicated to the numerous capital projects we embarked on since we came into being as Second Republic."