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An estimated 40 000 zanu-pf supporters attended President Mugabe’s Youth Interface Rally at Sakubva Stadium, Mutare, last week

Peacemaker Zano Correspondent
The MDC-T has proved that they are out of touch with reality and green with envy after President Robert Mugabe’s over-subscribed Youth Interface Rally which was held in Mutare a week ago.

In the wake of the massive rally, the opposition party was left at sixes and sevens with the party trying anything from downplaying the attendance to the laughable idea of appealing to Sadc to stop Zanu-PF from staging its show of popularity.

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu nonsensically said in a statement that the state of affairs does not bode well for the holding of free and fair elections in 2018. Really! Gutu said this while referring to President Mugabe’s highly attended Youth Interface Rally in Mutare alleging that people were forced to attend the rally. However, such statements by the opposition only expose how inept they are in dealing with real issues that affect the electorate, which to date has been their major downfall.

Gutu and his allies must be encouraged that there is nothing wrong with President Mugabe’s rallies. President’s Youth Interface Rallies give him the opportunity to interact with the young generation. Because of his busy schedule, President Mugabe at times fails to get the chance to interact with youths who are the vanguard of the ruling party. Such events are essential as they give the youths the opportunity to air their views to the President.

When Tsvangirai moved around ostensibly to meet traditional leaders in the country’s 10 provinces, not even a single political party complained about that. Now that it is President Mugabe who is meeting the youths, MDC-T is quick to call for SADC and AU to intervene in local politics. Gutu’s call depicts the weakness of opposition parties in the country. It really boggles the mind that whenever the opposition feels challenged, they rush to call for unnecessary external intervention.

The opposition always wants to paint a black picture on the personality of the President and the ruling party, ZANU-PF. If this is the opposition campaigning gimmick for the 2018 elections, Gutu and his cronies should find better ways of marketing themselves. The electorate will always subscribe to a political party that has viable policies. Being crybabies will not add any vote to the MDC-T. If they wish to lead this nation, MDC-T should prove it through policies that bring bread and butter on the tables of the electorate.

Before addressing the Youth Interface Rally in Mutare, President Mugabe commissioned the Dangamvura Community Information Centre (CIC), a move that rattled the opposition who derisively reacted labelling it a non-event. One wonders what calibre of an opposition that gets angry at developmental projects just because they, themselves have nothing on their plate.

This positive development was spot on as people in that area will now communicate at the click of a mouse. With the advances in technology, the destination of information centres has evolved. It is necessary to note that the launch of the CIC by President Mugabe will benefit the community in a number of ways.

Sadly, the opposition parties and ZANU-PF detractors have been attacking such a constructive development. Just like any another nation that is living in a global village, Zimbabwe needs information centres. Information centres are significant in the sense that they provide the community with important services and information that they may fail to acquire at personal level.

It is also comforting to note that the CIC will be accessed for free. Students who may want to do their research will do so for free. Traditionally, academic libraries were viewed as central to information seeking and acquisition of knowledge in learning, but this has since been surpassed by information centres. In simple terms, CICs are now an alternative tool used by students for their research.

Mutare is known as a home for diverse farming. Local farmers will, therefore, get the necessary current and accurate information for their crops from these information centres. Truth be told, thorough research is needed in farming to improve the quality of farm produce. Information centres can also be used as a marketing place on behalf of the local suppliers.

Hence, the opposition outfits should be ashamed for attacking the efforts that Government is doing for the betterment of the people.