Obert Mpofu drums up support for Zanu-PF candidates

ZANU-PF Secretary-General Dr Obert Mpofu yesterday lashed out at self-centred and egocentric leaders who tend to forget the masses once voted into positions, saying such actions negatively affect the party.

He was speaking at a well-attended Zanu-PF rally at Makhekhe Primary School grounds in Ndimimbili Village, Ward 7 in Lupane District yesterday where he was drumming up support for the party's candidate, Phathisiwe Machangu ahead of the by-elections set for December 9.

Machangu will face two Citizens Coalition for Change candidates, Messrs Bright Vanya Moyo and David Nyathi who last month both successfully filed their nomination papers.

"We have leaders who portray themselves as kings once in positions of power, forgetting where they came from. Once in a position of power, these leaders start exhibiting strange characteristics, and they no longer respect the generality of the populace who would have voted them into those positions," said Dr Mpofu.

"As a party, we don't want such because it puts us at loggerheads with the people. The party is not hated, but it's the kind of behaviour of some leaders that leads to people voting otherwise or having voter apathy."

Dr Mpofu urged party leaders must be people-centred and push the Second Republic's development agenda for the party to win in the by-elections.

"It's such self-centredness that is responsible for the party's poor showing in most constituencies in this province, we don't want that, we didn't want that and we will never want that," he said.

Dr Mpofu said he remained confident that the party would romp to a resounding victory as the electorate from Lupane East had been given an opportunity to correct their mistake when they voted for the opposition in the August 23 harmonised election.

"We were very confident as a party that we would take both Lupane East and Lupane West, but that never happened. I do not blame you the voters, you may not have been properly told why you should vote for Zanu-PF," he said.

"I know in this ward you did extremely well, but you were let down by other wards. I am here to also thank you while appealing to those who don't vote for us to reconsider their decision this time around."

Lupane District Coordinating Committee chairperson Permanent Sibanda said the party romped to victory in all the eight polling stations in the ward.

Dr Mpofu urged party members to shun violence during the campaign period.

Yesterday's rally was the fourth to be addressed by Dr Mpofu in the constituency in two weeks, a clear indication that the party is determined to win the seat which it narrowly lost in the August 23 elections when Mr Vanya Moyo managed 6 476 votes to Ncube's 6  241.

The by-election is one of two in the province. The other one is in Binga North where Zanu-PF candidate Chineka Muchimba will battle it out against CCC's two candidates, Mr Prince Dubeko Sibanda and Ms Judith Sibanda.