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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
ZANU-PF has arranged a special train to ferry 1,600 people free of charge from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls for next Saturday’s 21st February Movement Celebrations, the party’s Secretary for Finance, Cde Obert Mpofu has said.

Addressing the event’s organising team yesterday Cde Mpofu said the train was expected to leave Bulawayo at 4PM on Friday and arrive in Victoria Falls on Saturday at 7AM in time for the special event.

Cde Mpofu who is also the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, told hundreds of people who included hoteliers, tour operators, party members and business executives at a preparatory meeting that logistics for the train had been worked out. Six Politburo members from Matabeleland North province also attended yesterday’s meeting.

“We’ve secured a special train which will carry people especially from Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and North for the celebrations. We’re looking at transporting 1,600 people. Our wish was transport and we had requested two trains but National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) said they can only provide one,” said Cde Mpofu.

He said the train service had already been paid for.

He said the usual Bulawayo-Victoria Falls passenger train will not be affected. The “birthday train” will pick up passengers at the usual NRZ stations between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.

“The committee in charge should now go and talk to NRZ because we’ve paid for the train. The train will come together with the usual commuter train which will operate as usual. There will be a form of identification so that we don’t have people travelling for personal business getting into the 21st February Movement train,” he said.

The train will depart Victoria Falls at 9AM on March 1 after the event.

Cde Mpofu also donated $10,000 to the organisers of the annual event that marks President Mugabe’s birthday. President Mugabe turns 91 today but he celebrates his birthday at a public party next Saturday. About 20,000 people from across the country are expected to attend the main celebrations at Elephant Hills Resort Golf Course.

Cde Mpofu also said he sourced an undisclosed amount of fuel. He said the fuel was enough to service a fleet of vehicles to carry people from the province’s seven districts. “All districts should look for buses in their areas. Fuel is there…we’ve friends who’ve chipped in and all you need to do is tell us how many buses you need so that we know how much fuel to be allocated per district,” he said.

Yesterday’s meeting was meant for sub-committees to brief Politburo members on the progress made so far.

The subcommittee on transport reported that mining companies that include Hwange Colliery, Makomo and Zimbabwe Power Company donated buses which will make trips in Hwange district to and from the venue.

Tour operators and hoteliers also pledged 22-seater and 65-seater buses, trucks and light vehicles to carry people while plans are underway to secure more buses to be sent to Bubi, Nkayi, Tsholotsho, Lupane, Hwange and Binga to carry people in addition to the seven pledged so far.

The tour operators would also cater for shuttle transport for

delegates including children born on the 21st of February who will be flown from Harare and Bulawayo.

A total of 111 children from 10 provinces will be flown into the resort town where they will also be taken to different areas of attraction. Those from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Midlands will fly from Bulawayo while the rest will be flown from Harare.

They will be transported from the Victoria Falls International Airport to Farm School, the venue for their party on Friday afternoon where they will be catered for by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority which has set aside $70, 000 for the exercise, according to the transport sub-committee.