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UPDATES: Simiso Mlevu; Vusumuzi Dube, ONLINE EDITOR: Happiness Chikwanha, PROOFREADER: Clearance Munondo

The 9th leg of the Presidential Youth Interface rallies is taking place at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo today.

1042: President Mugabe is expected to officially open the Nkulumane Community Information Centre. The Nkulumane Community Information Centre is part of a project funded by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz). The authority is targeting to construct information centres in all the country’s constituencies. To date, Potraz has constructed over 80 centres at a cost of more than $900 000.

1040: President Mugabe has officially opened the Nkulumane Community Information Centre.

1052: Youth league Secretary Cde Kudzanai Chipanga is now addressing delegates at the official opening of the Nkulumane Community Information Centre

1053: He Hands over today’s programme to President Mugabe, First Lady Dr Grace  and the two VPs

1054: Cde Chipanga Invites Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Eunice Nomthandazo Moyo to give the state of the Metropolitan Province

1056: Cde Moyo is now addressing the delegates

1056: “Bulawayo is excited to host President Mugabe and the First Lady today,” says cde Moyo.

1056: “The challenges we have in the province is the closed industries, people are not employed, they don’t have a source of income. Zanu-PF MPs are working hard in the province, they have implemented a number of programmes which are assisting in empowering the youths.”

1059: ” As you know we don’t have any councillors in Bulawayoo but our MPs have gone a long way in bringing confidence to the people in Bulawayo and I am confident that come 2018, we are going to get a number of sits in the province.”

1104: Cde Moyo ends by thanking President Mugabe for availing grain to feed vulnerable groups in the province.

1105: Zanu-PF provincial chairperson Cde Dennis Ndlovu is now addressing the delegates, giving the state of the province

1106: “As a party, we are working very hard, we are not leaving any stone unturned ahead of the 2018 elections.”

1112: Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira is now addressing delegates

1115: “As a Ministry we have started rolling out training facilities at all our community information centres because we don’t want this to seem like a political gimmick but a means of empowering the communities.”

1117: “The trainings are for free till the end of the year after which we will then start charging a nominal fee to recover costs.”

1118: President Mugabe immediately interjects, ordering that the Ministry should not charge for these services.

1120: Cde Mandiwanzira invites President Mugabe to address delegates.

1125: President Mugabe is now addressing the delegates.

1126: “Our children these days are always online, they are always online. To settle problems, whether is science or maths they no longer need to go to the library they go to the internet. My only sense of disappointment is that we have allowed our children merely to depend on ICTs and are neglecting their books totally.”

1129: “The beauty of this new technology is that it keeps us in contact. Teachers and students can now get all solutions they want via ICTs.”

1132: “We want people to know that we are introducing these new gadgets but we want them also to know how to use them. These gadgets open their minds and introduces them to the world out there and also information out there.”

1137: “Let us teach the communities to use these computers but please let us be disciplined, let us not view pornography, this is not why we are setting up these computers.”

1138: “We can use these computers for many things that promote development. Some are using these computers to cause disharmony, demonstrating and destroying the infrastructure. We don’t want to emulate this because what solution does it present instead of destroying the nation.”

1142: “We have set up the Cyber Security Ministry to build our own cyber system to defend ourselves from cyber crime. Some use the internet to fight us and implement what they say is regime change.”

1143: “Some nations are at an advanced stage in controlling this social media, which is why we thought that Minister Chinamsa as a lawyer helps in controlling our cyber space.”

Meanwhile, Zanu PF supporters are gathered at White City stadium in Bulawayo’s Emabuthweni suburb for the Presidential Youth Interface rally. The rally is the 9th of a series of interactive between President Mugabe and members of the party’s youth wing.

President Mugabe has used the meetings to encourage unity among party members and also call for an end to factionalism.

As party supporters wait for the arrival of President Mugabe who is also Zanu PF first secretary, various artists from the region keeps them entertained. Some of the artists entertaining the crowd are Madlela Siikhobokhobo and Sandra Ndebele

1149: President Mugabe encourages everyone to register to vote in next year’s elections.

1150: “We don’t want to be over done by the opposition, we are the ruling party. Let us educate our people so that they vote wisely next year.”

1205: President Mugabe ends his address.

1213: Several senior party officials who have been waiting for the resumption of official proceedings at the White City Stadium rise to welcome Vice Presidents Phelekezela Mphoko and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

1121: President Mugabe and First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe have arrived at White City stadium.

1230: The National Anthem is now being sung.

1232: Director of Ceremonies, Youth League Political Commissar, Cde Innocent Hamandishe invites  Bishop Johannes Ndanga to give an opening prayer.

1234: Bishop Ndanga congratulates President Mugabe for living to expose false prophets who had told the nation that he will meet his maker on 17 October.

1240: Cde Hamandishe asks the Bulawayo Provincial leadership to greet the crowd and they do so by way of slogans.

1243: He also requests Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo as well as Youths to make slogans.

1245: Secretary for administration Cde Ignatius Chombo leads politiburo members in chanting the party slogan

1247: Zanu-PF secretary for the youth Cde Kudzayi Chipanga takes to the podium to make introductions of members of the Central Committee and Politiburo.

1254: Cde Patrick Nyaruwata introduces the War Veterans executive, and Youth League Secretary Cde Kudzayi Chipanga says these represent veterans of the liberation struggle who are loyal to the party.

1257: VP Mphoko and uMama Mphoko have been introduced with the VP greeting the crowd. He thanks the crowd for welcoming the President to the province.

1258: VP Mnangagwa and Umama Mnangagwa are now greeting the crowd.

1302:  Zanu-PF youth league chairperson Cde Anna Mokgohloa is now addressing the crowd.

1303: “We thank Amai for supporting us as youths. Youths in Bulawayo have many needs your Excellency. We have also noted the increase of non productive youths due to lack of land allocation for youths.”

1304: “We appeal for tough measures to be taken against money laundering.”

1305: “Bulawayo interface is held at a unique time when the country has started its voter registration process .We promise you a positive outcome in terms of youths that will register to vote.”

1306: The Youth league chair says the province is appalled by companies which import labour from other provinces to Bulawayo adding that the trend has left Bulawayo youths vulnerable and jobless.

1309: Cde Chipanga has been invited to make his remarks as Secretary for Youth League in the politburo.

1313: “We are requesting a special interface with students with you President, we are in the process of preparing for this interface with Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo.”

1314: “As youths we are spreading the word encouraging people to vote, which is why we are even endorsing that message on all our party ragalia.”

1318: ‘We thank you for officially opening the information centre. This is a place for youths. Hardly would you find older generation at such places. We are the beneficiaries,” Cde Chipanga.

1318: “We are worried about youths who were part of the national youth service who were employed in government but still remain under contract since around 2013, we ask that these people be employed permanently because they are already in the system. It will also assist them plan their future.”

1319: “”We are not going to tolerate indiscipline among our youths. We do not want them to abuse social media.”

1320: He pays tribute to Amai Mugabe for leading by example in taking care of the needy through chicken projects in the provinces.

1321: Next year we are going for elections, every province requested an extraordinary congresss to reaffirm the support the party has for you.

1323: “The youth league supports calls for an extraordinary congress. We need to affirm our party’s position that you are our candidate for 2018 election.”

1324: Cde Chipanga says the extraordinary congress must also be used to amend the constitution and provide for women representation in the Presidium.

1325: He calls for the party’s Secretary for legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa to look into the matter of amending the party’s constitution ahead of the extraordinary congress.

1326: He warns provinces to avoid approaching the issue of a woman VP with dirty hands adding that this has been a collective decision.

1327: Cde Chipanga says hands off the youth league as they only recognise President Mugabe and  First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe as their leaders.

1328: Cde Chipanga ends by inviting Dr Mugabe to addresss the crowd.

1330: Dr Mugabe begins her address.

1334: Dr Mugabe thanks Cde Chipanga for organising the interface rallies and emphasised that the party has one centre of power.

1335: “It is worrying that the industries are closed because our youths need to feed their families.”

1337: “I would like to talk about Professor Jonathan Moyo. It was said he has a number of crimes, President Mugabe set up a committee to investigate him, the committee had the findings and instructed Dr Chombo to write a letter to ZACC on the matter.”

1338: “This letter was meant to state how this money was used. If Jonathan has a crime let the courts decide that.”

1339: “Please don’t use your positions to fight your wars. I am the First Lady I have never used my position to gain unfair advantage.”

1340: Amai Mugabe says she is aware that some elements were paid money to boo her as she speaks and she doesn’t care if they are to do that. “I don’t care whether you boo me or you were paid to boo me but I will say it as it is even if you bring soldiers with guns I will say the same thing.”

1343: “Stop it whatever you are doing. There were demonstrations to fire Kasukuwere but President Mugabe saw that there was no crime. He is not going anywhere.”

1345: First Lady Amai Mugabe says Vice President Mnangagwa is the root cause of factionalism and it’s high time he is taken to a disciplinary hearing. “I am leading the calls. So many people have been fired,” she says

1347: “The constitution was changed from requiring one of the VPs to be a female when Joice Mujuru left and we put VP Mnangagwa, now we want our position back.”

1350: “I want to teach the youths to be business minded and make money. I will tell you that when I was elected as the Secretary for women affairs there was just $49 in the account but now we have over $200 000  and next year we will have over $1 million in our account.”

1351: She winds her speech by saying: “Bulawayo, those with ears have heard. The stubborn ones must remain so at their own peril. We have one leader who is the centre of power.

1400: Cde Chipanga invites President Mugabe to give his address.

1405: President Mugabe now takes to the podium to make his address.

1408: “We are here in Bulawayo to make sure that what we do today will encourage people in Bulawayo to vote for the party. This is the second city to Harare and we can’t afford to be losing it. But what i did not expect, which i had a bit of information about, is that some people had sent some persons to boo the first lady. She speaks her mind. We cannot keep quiet. We know in Masvingo there are people who claim the province does not belong to President Mugabe but to Mnangagwa. The same is happening in Midlands”

1411: “We cannot have what is happening in Masvingo and Midlands where we are told these provinces are not President Mugabe’s but they belong to VP Mnangagwa. I am told off daily in the name of Mnangagwa, did I make a mistake in appointing him as Vp?”

1412: “If I made a mistake by appointing Mnangagwa, tell me. I will remove him now. We are not afraid of anyone. We can decide even here. I will stand in front and have him do the same, those who want to be with me, join me and those who want to be with Mnangagwa go to him.”

1413: “Today when we have reached the tail end of the interface we get all this nonsense. I don’t like this.”

1414: “So to the people in Masvingo with their attitude, you can go ahead and form your party because we honestly cannot have this. We cannot be insulted on a daily basis.”

1417: President Mugabe instructs that party cars which were meant to be delivered in the provinces are to be handed over before the end of the month.

1418: “Let us adhere to the party’s constitution, war vets, youths and the women’s wing.”

1427:  President Mugabe says after capping graduates at NUST yesterday, he was happy the institution has gone back to its mandate of teaching science and technology. However, he says he inquired as to why there isn’t engineering and was told that they have produced quite a number who are working in the industries.

“No, that is not the engineering I am talking about. We want engineers who can come up with an aircraft. We want engineers who can innovate new things.”

1430: President Mugabe has implored farmers to consider venturing into sheep and goat farming adding that most Asian countries rare these at a commercial scale

1440:  President calls on Bulawayo to wake up and come to the party. “Abadala balapha. Vukani,” he says.

1442: “People cant bus people to boo, boo who. Actually I know where these buses came from.”

1444: President Mugabe says people are free to leave and he is not going to stand in anyone’s way adding that he is in the party because he still believes in the ideals.

1447: President Mugabe has finished his address.

1456: Cde Chipanga introduces representatives of the white business community who have pledged their support for the ruling party.

1457: Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister  Cde Eunice Sandi-Moyo is now giving a vote of thanks. She thanks President Mugabe for his servant leadership and also Amai Mugabe for taking care of the nation.

1458: Cde Sandi-Moyo said President Mugabe’s address was wise and full of counsel. “The speech liberated many in the party.”

1502: She has announced that the first lady brought mealie meal and appeals to party members to receive in peace and orderly manner their allocations.

1506: This brings to an end our live updates.