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Bulawayo Bureau

VICE President Kembo Mohadi yesterday said by-elections set for next Saturday are an opportunity for Bulawayo to correct its mistake on August 23 by voting for Zanu PF this time around.

The city needed to have representation in the country’s national government, which it lacks due to the results in the August harmonised elections.

Bulawayo has only two ministerial appointments: Professor Mthuli Ncube, a non-constituency MP and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, and Judith Ncube, a proportional representation MP and Minister of Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution.

The round of by-elections was triggered by the CCC, which recalled nine of its National Assembly members, who had ceased to be party members.

VP Mohadi, who is the party’s Second Secretary, was drumming up support for Zanu PF Nketa Constituency candidate Cde Albert Mavhunga at Nketa 8 Hall.

He said Cde Mavhunga was not just a candidate, but a representative of the ruling party, and urged party members to join forces to make sure that he was elected.

“You have been given a chance to correct the mistake that you made on 23 August 2023,” he said. “You have been given a second trial. I also come from the Matabeleland region and it is so embarrassing, especially when I’m with other senior party leaders, knowing how we performed as Bulawayo.

“Why did you embarrass us together with Cde Tshinga Dube and Cde Molly Mpofu and others in the Central Committee and Politburo? I hope in the coming elections you are to do better.”

VP Mohadi said Zimbabwe was not complete without Bulawayo, and Bulawayo was part of Zimbabwe and should have a role in its leadership.

He said it was important for Bulawayo to be in sync with what was obtaining nationally, where the ruling party won the mandate to govern.

“Zimbabwe is not complete without Bulawayo and Bulawayo is part of Zimbabwe and we should have it in our leadership,” he said.

VP Mohadi said it was worrying that party leaders had not held a post mortem meeting on what led to the party’s dismal performance in the past election.

“I was asking your leadership here what they did after getting zero seats. Did they sit and reflect on the elections? But they said ‘no.’ They don’t seem to see anything wrong with the outcomes, it doesn’t hurt them. But at the same time they want to be called leaders when they are doing nothing. It’s high time things changed here in Bulawayo,” said VP Mohadi.

He said party members should be able to articulate Zanu PF policies as they canvass for votes in communities.

VP Mohadi said he had proven that it was possible to win elections in the Matabeleland region if leaders engaged citizens, as he won elections in Beitbridge constituency in early 2000s when the majority of ruling party politicians in the region were losing to the opposition.

He said Zanu PF was a party that was futuristic in planning and was involved in economic warfare to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

“As Zanu PF, especially the New Dispensation, we looked at issues that affect our people.

We came up with a position of infrastructure development, dams, roads, power you name it. Come 2030, Zimbabweans must not depend on rain fed agriculture, but irrigation agriculture and we are making inroads towards that. So we are on the right direction,” said VP Mohadi.

He said Zanu PF members should be able to pinpoint where the country’s problems were coming from.

VP Mohadi said the Government was working to address road infrastructure, provide water, especially in urban areas, where the opposition was failing.

He said Government has made strides to address Bulawayo perennial water shortages through the construction of Lake Gwayi Shangani.

He said while the country was experiencing power cuts, Hwange Unit 7 and 8 will soon be restored to the national grid, which will ease load shedding.

VP Mohadi said low water levels at Kariba Dam were exacerbating the power challenges.