Bulawayo Bureau
ACTING President Joice Mujuru yesterday called on Members of Parliament to be always on the ground initiating development projects for the electorate.
Addressing hundreds of villagers from Umguza’s Ward 10 who attended a field day at Merryland Farm in the district, Cde Mujuru also urged Zanu-PF leaders to be on the ground working with the people.

“It is the job of a Member of Parliament to be always there with constituents attending to problems and stimulating development. As Zanu-PF, this year, we will not accept reports that have been compiled by people seated at desks, we want evidence that people have been on the ground,” said Cde Mujuru.
She said the word MP was now being mocked to mean “missing person” because a majority of legislators abandoned people soon after winning elections.

“Zanu-PF is a people-driven party, for the people and as such, we will not tolerate truancy from any of our members. If that happens, then the party ceases to belong to the people. It would be no different from any of the run of the mill political parties that are sprouting everywhere,” said Cde Mujuru.
She urged villagers to be wary of people who bribed them to win votes.

“It is such people who abandon the electorate. If you take them to task about failing to meet the needs of the people, they will tell you to keep quiet and demand value for the money they gave to you so that you can vote for them,” said Cde Mujuru drawing applause from the villagers.
She said it was the importance of the people on the ground that had made her travel all the way from Harare to be present at a field day.  Cde Mujuru said Dr Obert

Mpofu, the Member of the House of Assembly for Umguza was different because he always ensured that there was development in his constituency.
Also speaking at the same occasion, Dr Mpofu declared that Umguza was 100 percent Zanu-PF.
“People here vote for the people’s party because they have tangible development that they can directly credit to the party’s visionary leadership under President Mugabe.

“In the last elections we won in all the 19 wards because our vision is clear and we are always with the people, working closely with them,” said Dr Mpofu.
He cited the numerous resettled farmers who benefited from the party’s land reform programme, who were earning a livelihood through the party’s assistance under the Farm Mechanisation Programme as examples of Zanu-PF’s people-driven development programmes.

Dr Mpofu warned opposition parties not to field ordinary candidates to contest against him in the next elections, saying they would experience “morale- shattering defeat”.

“I want them to field their presidents. Angifuni okungabotitisi. The party leaders themselves should come here and taste defeat,” he said.
Dr Mpofu said the party had problems in the past in some wards in Ntabazinduna because the late Chief Khayisa Ndiweni was ill-advising people to vote for the opposition.  Dr Mpofu thanked the Ward 10 villagers for the massive turn out, saying it showed their support for him and Zanu-PF.

“This big crowd is made up of people from Ward 10 only. Otherwise, if it was needed, we could easily have mobilised 20 000. This is a testimony of the party’s popularity. People choose leaders whose policies they can identify with and who are always around to help them develop,” he said.
Among the people who attended the event, was the Governor and Resident Minister of Matabeleland North, Thokozile Mathuthu, senior Zanu-PF members, traditional leaders, the Provincial Administrator for the Province, Ms Latiso Dlamini, representatives from Agritex, Cottco, Seed-Co, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and

Dyna Lab, a manufacturer of organic fertilisers.