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1426: Proceedings have come to an end here at White City Stadium. Thank you for joining us.

1425: VP Mohadi ends his address.

1424: “As a student of socialism and communism I have never felt so good in a revolution…at one point I wanted to quit politics but with your exemplary leadership I will continue serving you. Let’s give President Mnangagwa his vote to take us through the next five years giving him a full term because with this one he just finishing off a term,”

1413: VP Mohadi is now giving the closing remarks.

“Your Excellency, all the time you take to the podium I learn a lot of issues. The main one being that of your clarity of mind. This is usually housed in somebody who wants to meticulously deliver a certain message to the people. President, you are a wonder I will always cherish hence I am very proud to be part of this new dispensation,”

1355: The President has finished his address.

1350: “Immediately after elections, the cash issue will be the challenge we should resolve. We want ethics. We need to entrench a culture of respect, the young respecting the elders. Families are the first port of call were that culture must develop. Children must respect their parents and students must respect their teachers,”

1348: “On cash availability, when the ZimDollar collapsed in 2008 and we adopted a basket of currencies both the USD and Rand were at 40 percent each in terms of usage but USD became more dominant and we have no control over the USD so we now have to find a way to create our own currency,”

1341: “There are land barons feeding off our people, we have instituted an inquiry for this in urban and rural areas and Harare is terrible. The report I got showed me their addresses, cellphone numbers and how much they have stolen. So the day of Armageddon is coming. It’s not Harare only but all over. We now have a modern, well-planned programme that will show how we will build as some areas need high rise buildings,”

1339: “I am disappointed by urban councils. Roads are poor and service delivery is poor. I hear Bulawayo City Council have closed water here. What nonsense is that? The power of the council comes from the people. So you are the people and they deny you water. Here you are the people who voted for them. Get them out,”

1333: “In the area of education, I have sat with my administration and institutions of higher learning. We must now focus on producing products that fit into the industrial technologies we have.”

1331: “Ekusileni has been standing for 17 years but now let me promise you that on 15 July it will begin functioning. The investors will be on site to begin fitting equipment on the 15th,”

1324: “Bulawayo is the industrial hub of this country so we must resuscitate all the industries in Bulawayo to create jobs for people. The process has begun. We have Paramount Garments, Merlin and the NRZ is also waking up. We must be able to distinguish between decentralisation and devolution of power. Employment will increase. As for CSC, we have secured a foreign investor from abroad. Devolution of power is contained in the constitution an organ which is called the provincial councils which devolves power to the provinces.”

1322: Currently, our ministers were political they were just chanting party slogans but now it has changed. Forward with business, wealth and the economy not pamberi ne Zanu-PF. That’s the new slogan. They shall now be provincial GDPs.”

1319: “We still have not addressed the issue of devolution according to the Constitution. We must be able to distinguish between decentralisation of authority and devolution of power. We have in the Constitution the provincial council which devolves power to provinces. The impact of devolution will change the roles of provincial ministers,”

1313: “We will conclude the modernisation of Beitbridge border post on Thursday. The question of hunger is now behind us. With our model of Command Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries never again will we say there is hunger in this nation,”

1312: “For all the challenges we must have specific plans to deal with them. With regards to agriculture, we must ensure that each hectare is productive and have a surplus to sell,”

1306: “We were given $100 million from Chine to aid in small-scale mining projects. Don’t call them Amakorokoza please,”

1301: “We don’t need any violence at all, we need an untainted thunderous victory. We have invited over 46 countries to observe our elections. Let’s show them that we are politically mature and peaceful. We can divide our economy into agriculture, mining, tourism, ICT, and manufacturing. In all these sectors, we have specific ways of modernising each one,”

1300: “We have put up a target for ourselves that in 12 years we should be a middle-income country. We need decent jobs as well as fight corruption. We must create wealth and ensure in 12 years the majority of our people will be in the middle-income bracket.”

1258: “This gathering is a Zanu-PF gathering so I say let us go win the elections so we continue to lead because we are leaders. We need to win the elections. For the first time in history, we have invited worldwide observers. We have opened the gates. Zimbabweans show your maturity and warmth to the visitors that are coming. This party is bigger than any individual,”

1256: “We then went to the AU in Ethiopia where we told them that there is a change in Zimbabwe. In our foreign policy, we are seeing what is key is to engage and re-engage,”

1254: “I also visited our peers in the SADC region to tell them that there is a change in Zimbabwe. Fortunately, there was then DAVOS where all leaders of the first world converge to discuss nothing but wealth. So I said the voice of Zimbabwe must be heard in this forum where the biggest voices of wealth gathered and the voice of Zim dominated,”

1252: “I then met war vets who were responsible for liberating this country. They all agreed that we need peace and unity for stability. Recently I met the children under the umbrella of the Child Parliament. The last group are our students across the board,”

1245: “When we said Zimbabwe is open for business we sat and thought where do we start? The first thing we did was meet all the traditional chiefs in our country. This is so because the chiefs own the land where they govern and each one of us can trace who our chief is. The second step is we met the church noting that there is a God above. And these two groups agreed that peace and unity is necessary for the country. Having done this, it was now necessary to address wealth matters which is why I then called all captains of commerce and industry, where we told them that we need the creation of wealth,”

1242: “Upon my inauguration, I made a promise that my job is to put economic issues ahead of political issues. We agreed that Zimbabwe is open for business. But before I explain what we mean by this mantra it is important to accept a few facts of life. This region has produced icons and revolutionaries. I will mention just a few of them, Father Zim, former VP Dr Joshua Nkomo, JZ Moyo, General Alfred Nikita Mangena, General Lookout Masuku and many others. So we must continue to remember that the independence we enjoy today we have many leaders who gave their all for the liberation of this country,”

1239: “It touched my heart that everyone participated in the demonstrations including political parties, religious bodies, and civic organizations. When I called him, he asked is this Emmerson? I said yes, he then asked where I was and I was like old man you forgot that you fired me? He said no no I didn’t fire you, he even offered me residence in his house but I told him that the people surrounding him wanted me dead,”

1235: “Those events created subsequent events that brought in the new dispensation. After being insulted I thanked the former First Lady for insulting me. The former President told me that I will be fired the following day and it happened like that. You all know what happened till 18 November. When I escaped to South Africa I called the former President in the middle of the demonstrations by all the citizenry in the country,”

1234: “I want to thank the man of God who prayed today. It was the most fascinating and peculiar prayer I have ever had. Before I address you today, I want to remind you what happened on 4 November last year. You all remember what happened. I had no hand in the booing of the former First Lady, however, I was accused of sponsoring the booing,”

1232: President Mnangagwa now addressing.

1230: As the President takes to the podium he leads the high table and the stadium in dancing to what has become his trademark song from Jah Prayzah, “Kutonga Kwaro”

1230: “I now call you President to come and address the people and tell them what the party has in store,”

1230: “There is no one who lost in the primaries, you all won because Zanu-PF is the winning party at the end of the day. Let’s fight for our party so that it gets into office come 30 July,”

1217: “You remember that last year during the interfaces he was called all sorts of names but he remained silent showing that he is a really dedicated leader. It all started here in Bulawayo where people reacted before taking to the streets which eventually culminated in him becoming the President. He is the man who is our Joshua who has been chosen to lead his children to Canaan. This is the man I am proud to be introducing today”

Meanwhile, VP Chiwenga calls winners and losers of primary elections to the stand so they can meet the President.

1214: “After independence, President Mnangagwa was appointed to be chairman of the Joint High Command to lead the integration of the three armies. He did this successfully, which is historical as it has never happened anywhere else in the world. President Mnangagwa is a very patriotic and disciplined cadre. He was insulted during the interface rallies but he did not budge. Over the years he has held various portfolios in Government since independence until he was appointed the Vice President. In all this, he proved to be a trustworthy and obedient cadre who listened to his superior. People chose him to lead after Mugabe resigned. He is here to tell you where we are, where we are going and how we will do it,”

1208: “President Mnangagwa was incarcerated at Khami Prison. He had his first border jumping experience in 1964 when he crossed from Zambia to Zimbabwe to be part of the Zanu congress where Cde Ndabaningi Sithole was elected as President of the party. Due to his political activities in the liberation struggle, he was sentenced to death after he bombed a train but due to his age, the sentence was commuted. During his incarceration he was tortured till his ear was damaged and up to this day he struggles to ear through that ear,”

1203: “His family relocated to Zambia in 1955. President Mnangagwa continued with his education but he did not complete due to the nationalist movement which was being experienced in Africa. He joined the then Dr Kenneth Kaunda led UNIP,”

1202: “He was born in Midlands in 1942. His family was already politically active, which is where he first had his encounter on the nationalist movement,”

1200: “I am here to introduce a visitor who will be driving the Zanu-PF train in the upcoming elections. He is our President and First Secretary. I introduce to you a man who will surely still be the President after 30 July,”

1155: VP Chiwenga takes to the podium to introduce President Mnangagwa.

1150: Zanu-PF National Commissar Cde Englebert Rugeje takes to the podium to introduce the VIPs who have accompanied the President to the rally.

 

1145: Zanu-PF provincial chairperson Dr Callistus Ndlovu now giving the welcome remarks.

1144: The President and his two deputies, VPs Mohadi and Chiwenga have arrived at the stadium to a resounding welcome from the multitudes gathered here.

1130: We are at White City Stadium in Bulawayo where thousands of Zanu-PF supporters have converged to hear President Mnangagwa articulate his party’s vision for the country as the 2018 harmonised elections loom. The multitudes gathered here today reflect a vibrant juggernaut that has come to support their leader and party. President Mnangagwa addressed a packed Phelandaba Stadium in Gwanda yesterday where he called for peace and unity.