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President Mugabe

Felex Share Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF is targeting to mobilise more than 35 000 people for the Matabeleland South Presidential Youth Interface Rally in Gwanda on Saturday.

The rally, to be held at Phelandaba Stadium, becomes President Mugabe’s sixth provincial meeting with the Zanu-PF youths.

President Mugabe, who is the Zanu-PF First Secretary, has been to Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland North and Mashonaland West. Zanu-PF Matabeleland South youth chairperson Cde Dingumuzi Phuti yesterday said all was set for the event.

“We are content and confident of our mobilisation strategies,” he said. “With the mobilisation voltage that we have discharged in all our seven administrative districts and 168 party districts, we are going to see a crowd of over 35 000.

“Transport has been a factor, but we have organised a lot of lorries, buses and commuter omnibuses. I have communicated with Cde Kudzanayi Chipanga (Zanu-PF Youth League secretary) who assisted us to go through the National Railway of Zimbabwe and they have given us 15 wagons with a carrying capacity of 1 500 people. “It will carry our people from Beitbridge.”

Cde Phuti said no one would be forced to attend the rally. “We have a lot of positive responses on the ground and people are coming out on their own volition,” he said. “No one is being forced and this is testimony that Zanu-PF is alive in the province.

“Our senior members have been helpful and we see nothing short of a highly subscribed rally.” Cde Phuti said the rally would prove that Zanu-PF “was the only game in the province.”

“We are a well-oiled machine and results have shown that Zanu-PF rules the roost here,” Cde Moyo said. “It is now time to continue with our mobilisation strategy as we head into next year’s harmonised elections.”

In the 2013 harmonised elections, Zanu-PF won all the 13 constituencies in Matabeleland South. The revolutionary party reclaimed some seats that had been in the hands of the MDC since 2000.

Cde Chipanga said the revolutionary party would continue flexing its mobilisation muscle. “The provincial leadership is on the ground and as always, we are targeting large numbers,” he said. “We will chip in with things like fuel, tent facilities and regalia like T-shirts and caps. The bulk of the resources we expect the host province to avail.

Our aim is to translate those numbers into votes so we are going to use every opportunity to encourage our members to register as voters. “We are going into the sixth rally and to date we have been impressed with the attendance and we have achieved our goals.”

Members of the Women’s League, war veterans, war collaborators and ex-detainees and party affiliates were invited to the event.

“It’s a youth event, but as is the norm, we work with other organs,” Cde Chipanga said. “The President is coming to interface with the youths, hearing their concerns and everyone should be in prepared to meet the leader, President Mugabe.”

The Zanu-PF Youth League meetings with the President are expected to run until October when he would have visited all the country’s 10 provinces.