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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
zanu-pf Politburo member and the party’s National Assembly candidate for Gokwe Mapfungautsi, Cde Victor Matemadanda, said it was unfortunate that truck drivers chasing to beat targets forced party supporters to walk away when President Mnangagwa was still addressing a rally in Gokwe yesterday.

In an interview after the well attended rally held at Mapfungautsi Primary School in Gokwe South, Cde Matemadanda said some people who had attended the rally were coming from as far as Chireya and Chitekete.

He said as the President was winding up his speech, the people started walking to their trucks to prepare for departure.

“As the President was addressing the people, some truck drivers started to spread messages that they were leaving the rally,” said Cde Matemadanda. “Remember, these haulage trucks are busy transporting cotton and were hired to ferry the people to and from the rally.

‘Some of these people where coming from far away places like Chitekete and when they heard that transport was leaving, they stood up.

“We have investigated the matter and spoken to some of the truck drivers who said they wanted to beat their target of transporting cotton and, therefore, they wanted to leave early and it is very unfortunate that it happened when the President was speaking.”

Addressing the rally, Cde Matemadanda said Gokwe District was a zanu-pf stronghold.

He promised President Mnangagwa that zanu-pf was going to retain all the 13 constituencies in Gokwe North and Gokwe South.

Addressing the same rally, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said Gokwe District had outdone Masvingo in terms of attendance.

“Gokwe (North and South) is a district and these people are from one district and they came in numbers, outdoing Masvingo province,” he said.