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Cde Joosbi Omar

Walter Mswazie, Masvingo Correspondent
THE Zanu-PF leadership in Masvingo has raised concern over the national commissariat’s failure to provide campaign regalia and posters for the Mwenezi East by-election won resoundingly by Cde Joosbi Omar last weekend.

Cde Omar polled 18 700 votes while Mr Welcome Masuku of the National Constitutional Assembly managed 482 votes and Mr Turner Mhango of Free Zimbabwe Congress got 386 votes.

Masvingo provincial secretary for administration Cde Ailes Baloyi said the province was not happy with the way the department treated the party’s candidate after failing to live up to its promises.

He said the provincial leadership was promised campaign material such as posters and t-shirts but that did not materialise.

Cde Baloyi said they had a target of 47 000 votes for Cde Omar, but failed to reach it, in part as a result of the commissariat department’s bungling.

“The provincial leadership is not happy with the failure by the national commissariat led by Cde Saviour Kasukuwere to provide t-shirts and posters for the campaign. Failure to provide campaigning regalia had a telling effect on the reduced number of people who voted. We looked forward to more than 47 000 votes but we got 18 700 votes only,” said Cde Baloyi.

He said the department did not communicate the reasons for failure to deliver.

“We initially thought we would receive the regalia and posters as Cde Kasukuwere had promised when he visited Mwenezi last month. The regalia instills a sense of belonging within our membership and it shows that we are more organised than other parties.

“We felt that the national commissariat failed us as we did not garner the votes that we really wanted despite winning the election. Next time such things should not happen to a party of the magnitude of Zanu PF.

“Wearing a t-shirt of your party has proved to be a motivating factor to our members. However, I want to acknowledge that our candidate Cde Omar received money for campaigning and that was good,” he said.

@walterbmswazie3