'No to gambling with national destiny'

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is fulfilling the liberation war assignment through economic development for the benefit of the entire populace and deserves a resounding affirmation in Wednesday's elections, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.

Vice President Chiwenga said this yesterday in his home district of Hwedza, where he addressed two campaign rallies at Sadza Growth Point and Hwedza Business Centre.

Hwedza has two House of Assembly seats — Hwedza North and Hwedza South — and the ruling party is represented by Cdes Itai Ndudzo and Tino Machakaire.

The district also borders Chikomba East Constituency where the ruling party is represented by Felix Mhona.

The VP said the democracy, equal opportunities for all and peace that the populace is enjoying today are a result of a protracted and painful liberation war which every part of the country and every family bore the brunt of.

Against this painful history of sacrifice, the VP said Zimbabweans cannot afford to gamble and experiment by electing people who have no known history of championing national interests.

He said Wednesday's elections should be an easy choice for the people of Hwedza and Zimbabwe at large as they will get the opportunity to cast a vote for President Mnangagwa — a candidate who is championing economic development in every part of the country.

This spiderweb approach by President Mnangagwa, said VP Chiwenga, was one of the main basis on which thousands of gallant sons and daughters waged the liberation war and thus the President and the Second Republic were finishing off the liberation assignment.

The Vice President listed several high impact national projects being championed by the Second Republic as an anchor towards the attainment of an empowered upper-middle income economy by 2030 as envisioned by the President.

He also highlighted local projects most of which are being financed through the President's devolution agenda.

"The President that we are asking you to cast your vote for on Wednesday is one of the pioneer liberation war fighters that ignited the flame that gave us independence after a 16-year-long protracted war," said VP Chiwenga.

"The war raged and filled the whole country. There is no village or area that can say it did not witness the war of liberation. There is no family that can say we have no member that fought or got injured in the war. This is the war that brought us independence.

"We travelled this journey together as a united people with one purpose. So, having travelled the painful part together, are we going to turn and say we are giving up and returning our sovereignty to foreigners?

"This country cannot be sold. It cannot be gambled with and the only way to ensure this is to resoundingly vote for His Excellency President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF party candidates on Wednesday," he said.

President Mnangagwa will expeditiously and effectively deliver on Vision 2030 if he was afforded the opportunity to work with Zanu-PF parliamentary and council representatives, hence the importance to vote Team Zanu-PF as a block.

VP Chiwenga also reiterated that as has been consistently championed by the President, the elections should be held in peace with people shunning all forms of violence.