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Cde Chabaya

From George Maponga in Masvingo

Zanu-PF Bikita West National Assembly member-elect Cde Beauty Chabaya yesterday attributed Saturday’s runaway victory to team work and urged the ruling party to be united to ensure a landslide victory in harmonised elections next year.Cde Chabaya garnered 13 156 votes. Her nearest rival Mr Kudakwashe Gopo of Dr Joice Mujuru’s ZimPF managed only 2 453 votes. Speaking for the first time after her victory, Cde Chabaya attributed her victory to Team Zanu-PF.

“In this by-election there are a lot of lessons that can be drawn by Zanu-PF members, especially the importance of unity. I managed to easily sail through in this election because we worked as a team. My victory was as a result of team work,’’ she said.

“I must say that I owe my victory to everyone in the party in Masvingo including all the senior leaders in the province led by Politburo members Cdes Josaya Hungwe and Senator Shuvai Mahofa, the national commissariat department led by our political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere and above all, the Presidium of our party that was represented by the two Second Secretaries, Cdes Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, who also came down to Bikita West to help drum up support for me.”

Cde Chabaya made history by becoming the first woman National Assembly member for Bikita West since Independence in 1980.She said Zanu-PF’s political star will continue shining if people close ranks by shunning divisions.

Cde Chabaya said her victory was sweet in that she hammered Dr Mujuru and her ZimPF project which some touted ahead of the by-election.

“I am proud. Very proud because I was able to deflate the confidence of Dr Mujuru and members of her new party after I trounced their candidate in the Bikita West by-election. Her confidence is now low because of that crushing defeat and that makes me proud because she and her party might find it hard to recover from this bitter lesson in Bikita,’’ said Cde Chabaya.

“The Bikita West by-election also came at a very critical time in Zanu-PF because our party now knows that it only needs unity and team work to remain in power. We will surely get it right in the 2018 elections if we unite in Zanu-PF because the majority of people still have faith in us.”

Cde Chabaya is holding “thank you” rallies in Bikita West to show appreciation to her supporters.

“My main goal as we head towards the next elections is to make sure that people in my constituency continue to get food aid until they harvest their own crops a few months from now. I also want to make sure that one or two major irrigation schemes that are down in my constituency are rehabilitated.’’

Cde Chabaya said she would also engage lithium producer Bikita Minerals to create more employment opportunities for youths in her constituency and to fund community projects.

Bikita Minerals is the biggest company in the constituency. A businessman and mother of two, Cde Chabaya helped Zanu-PF to retain the Bikita West seat that fell vacant after Munyaradzi Kereke was incarcerated for rape.