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Jim Kunaka

Tichaona Zindoga Harare Bureau
THE ruling Zanu-PF party at the weekend welcomed back former Harare provincial youth leader, Jim Kunaka, who had joined Zimbabwe People First before he quit last week citing lack of progress at the new party. At a rally in Harare’s Kuwadzana constituency on Saturday which was addressed by Zanu-PF national Political Commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere and local MP, Cde Betty Nhambu Kaseke, Kunaka was introduced as a prodigal son who had been “lost” and joined the Joice Mujuru-led People First outfit.

The jubilant crowd broke into song, saying “Jimu adzoka kumusha” (Jim has returned home) and he immediately undertook to make amends and help the ruling party win seats in Harare.

The contrite youthful politician also explained that there was no future in PF and other opposition parties.

“I was myopic and misled by anger and disgruntlement. I took away the wealth that President Mugabe gave me and squandered it at People First,” he said to the crowd. “The truth of the matter is that there’s nothing there. There’s no leadership and I wrote them a letter and assured them that they wouldn’t get any votes.

“That party is full of failures: some of them have been MPs but they’ve nothing to show for it. Why should I follow such people – blind people? I said there’s nothing to stop me from returning home.”

Kunaka urged supporters to remain steadfast in support of President Mugabe. “Don’t be misled. Let’s all remain solidly behind President Mugabe’s leadership,” he said.

Kunaka said he was ready to work with Zanu-PF to ensure that the ruling party swept the board in the 2018 elections and dislodge the opposition MDC-T from its domination of urban councils. Last week, Kunaka and another youth Kudzai Saruwaka, quit People First citing lack of leadership and direction.

In a joint letter, the two said: “Top leadership is in hibernation and had declined to practise professionalism as they opted to use the grapevine as their reliable source of information. Up to now, the party has failed to even produce membership cards, believing that time is on their side.”

Meanwhile, at Saturday’s rally, Kasukuwere, who is also Minister of Local Government, Housing and Urban Development, pledged to avail land to home-seekers in Harare and other urban centres.

The local legislator had asked for the regularisation of a settlement in Kuwadzana 5 where hundreds of families have settled on land formerly used as cattle pasture by the Harare City Council. Kaseke argued that it was important for people to take precedence and get the land to build on.