Chiwenga addresses sold-out rally

ZANU-PF'S August 23 harmonised election campaign trail is now in full force with the party's Second Secretary and Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga addressing a sold-out rally at Mbare Netball Complex open space yesterday.

The rally drew multitudes of Zanu-PF supporters from Mbare and Southerton constituencies.

President Mnangagwa launched the election campaign in Chipinge two weeks ago and the ruling party is now working round the clock to woo voters with the message centred on the various projects.

In total show of their commitment to the party and what it stands for, multitudes of party supporters braved the cold weather as they waited for the arrival of VP Chiwenga to address them.

As early as 7.30am, all roads in Mbare and Southerton constituencies were leading to Mbare Netball Complex open space for the rally.

The roads were painted green, gold, black and red, the colours of the ruling party.

The young and the old were patient enough despite the drizzling.

Some sought shelter at every space possible while brave ones continued singing and dancing in the light rains.

VP Chiwenga then arrived around 11am to a deafening screams and ululations from the waving crowd.

The rally was meant to drum up support for President Mnangagwa, who is the revolutionary party's Presidential elections candidate, as well as the party's National Assembly and local authorities' candidates in the August 23 elections.

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

The two constituencies have been dominated by the opposition since the turn of the millennium resulting in a collapse of services, infrastructure and amenities.

In his address, VP Chiwenga said Mbare has a historical significance with regards to the history of Harare and the liberation of the country.

"This place is the hub of Harare. I would like to thank you for coming in numbers. What makes me happy is that this place Mbare is the same like Highfields which played a huge role with regards to the independence of the country," he said.

"We have a lot of heroes who came out of Mbare and fought for the liberation of the country."

VP Chiwenga said only recently the country lost one of the heroes Ben Mucheche who is one of the people who moulded Mbare to what it is through his transport business.

"That didn't end in just facilitating the smooth flow of people, but also transportation of food, clothes and other things that were needed by the freedom fighters. Even their letters or materials used to communicate was being done at Mbare and that's how important this place is to the country," he said.

He said the Second Republic recognises talent from the people of Mbare as evidenced by the granting of a provincial hero's status to the late Zimbabwe dance hall singer Soul Muzavazi Musaka popularly known as Soul Jah Love.

Turning to the elections, VP Chiwenga said people in Harare and all urban areas were suffering at the hands of opposition controlled local authorities.

He said the elections are coming when people in urban areas whose councils are under opposition parties, have had to endure several years of suffering in the absence of service delivery.

"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 except making lives difficult for residents and inviting illegal economic sanctions on the country," said VP Chiwenga.

"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."

The Vice-President urged the electorate to rescue itself from the inefficient Harare City Council by voting for Zanu-PF.

He said in 2018, the ruling party made an undertaking to refurbish Matapi Flats in Mbare, Sakubva in Mutare, Mtapa in Gweru and Makokoba in Bulawayo.

VP Chiwenga said unfortunately there hasn't been any progress citing as an example resistance by Harare City Council to allow development to take place.

"The CCC led council in Harare refused us to rehabilitate the flats just like they refused to see Rufaro being rehabilitated. But we want to enact legislation that will see the Government revoking certain council resolutions which are detrimental to the development of urban areas," he said.

"This is because we want to develop urban areas and improve service delivery. Laws are made by the people and it's the people who can break the same laws."

VP Chiwenga said Government will revoke some council resolutions or laws that are not amenable to the growth of urban areas like Mbare.

"Speaking of football, some of you are ardent sports lovers, now you are forced to travel all the way to Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo to watch your team -Dynamos. This is a result of council which has failed to maintain and service Rufaro Stadium," said the VP drawing a thunderous applause from the crowd.

"This disheartens us a lot in Zanu-PF because as Government we encourage sports and leisure.

People would have spent their days, hard at work, sometimes they have a lot on their minds troubling them, they need to watch football to relax."

VP Chiwenga listed several infrastructure projects that have been done by the Second Republic under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.

These include 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.