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Sikhumbuzo Moyo

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ZANU-PF Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi has said the ruling party is geared up for the harmonised elections even if the polls were to be held next week, and called on the youth to play their part to ensure a resounding victory.

The harmonised elections have been slated for August 23 with the ruling party is  embarking on a drive to drum up support from the grassroots as it aims for five million votes.

Speaking during a well-attended meeting dubbed “Ama2K4ED rally” at Prestige College in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb yesterday, Cde Mohadi said it is disturbing to note that more than four decades after the attainment of political independence, the country is yet to be economically independent.

He said the onus is on the young and first-time voters to ensure that it is attained through voting Zanu-PF back into power.

Cde Mohadi said when they took up arms to fight the colonial Ian Smith regime in the 1960s, they made it clear that the mission was to attain political and economic independence.

“It is very sad that after Independence in 1980, up to now, this very moment as I am standing in front of you, we haven’t attained economic independence, we haven’t attained  economic  emancipation, so it is you whom we are looking upon to fight a good fight so that you become economically emancipated,” he told the youths,” he said.

“Wealth should be in your hands. We must be prepared to sacrifice our time, our lives, and everything that we have in order to emancipate ourselves economically.”

Cde Mohadi said the United States of America and her Western allies will never want the youth to be emancipated economically. 

He said the day Africa and Zimbabwe is emancipated economically, will mark the collapse of the economies of European countries.

“For them (Western countries) to be where they are, it is because they are under-developing us deliberately so that we remain where we are as their stooges or sources of raw materials as they continue enjoying the good life,” he said.

Cde Mohadi said now that Africa is demanding what belongs to her, the colonisers are beginning to do all sorts of things such as attacking the country’s currency. He said the party leadership is aware of the cause of rampant and unjustified price increases of goods, which is happening as the country heads towards elections.

“So, you the  2K4ED, it is upon yourselves to take this battle now, take up the arms. I am very much pleased to know that there is a demography of young people like you who have taken it upon themselves to pick up the struggle from where we have left,” said Cde Mohadi.

“We are talking about a revolution. We would want to be with you all the time, mentor you so that you are not going to sell this land to the whites. So come to Zanu-PF, ama2K4ED, come and work with the party of the people, the party that liberated this country.”

Cde Mohadi assured Ama2K4ED that he will be with them all the way after they asked him to be their mentor.

“Where we fall, we fall together, where we rise we rise together and we will definitely liberate this country economically. 

“Ama2K4ED, you have my back and I am sure I have your back because you are the future of this country, you are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

Cde Mohadi also took the opportunity to take the first-time voters through the history of the liberation struggle that eventually led to the black majority rule in 1980. He said during their time under the settlers’ rule, blacks were not allowed to exercise their rights to vote and be the masters of their own destiny.

 

“We were once of your age and we lived in a different epoch from the one that you live in today. During our time, we were under the white man’s rule and we were not allowed to even talk about what is called voting,” said Cde Mohadi.

“A black person wasn’t allowed to vote, they were not allowed to elect parliamentary representatives and we remained under their leadership for 90 years. We tried to fight them here and there, in 1893 and 1896, but they overcame and our generation eventually decided to go and fight what we called self-determination.”

In an interview on the sidelines of the rally, Zanu-PF National Political Commissar Cde Mike Bimha said the party is geared up for elections and raring to go.

“We are well prepared, we are good to go, anytime. We even wish it was next week, and that is how well-prepared we are. The youth are important because we are preparing them for the future, these are the leaders of tomorrow, but at the same time they don’t have the background of where this country came from,” he said.

“We need to keep them very close so that they can link what we are trying to do and achieve in the form of economic independence. We fought for political independence and now we want the youths to fight for economic independence by participating in all the sectors of the economy, by being loyal and committed to this country.”

The rally was attended by Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, Chiefs Council deputy president Chief Mtshana Khumalo, Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial secretary for administration Cde Raymond Mtomba, and Ama2K4ED leader, Dr Malacki Mamutse among others.