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14:44 – Dr Grace Mugabe is done speaking. What a ride! That’s all for today folks. Goodbye. Adios.

14:42 – We are confident with our President. Everyone can say what they want but no weapon formed against us shall prosper

14:38 – I know the problems in Bulawayo and I will make sure that when the Chinese deals come through that the problems in Bulawayo and the Matabeleland provinces will be the first to addressed.

14:33 – President Mugabe has no faction – Dr Mugabe

14:29 – People who divide the party should just go. They should not be given positions. I know that some were busy paying youths last night. You are busy following me when you have your own problems back home. Go solve your problems and stop your deeds immediately. I know some women are busy selling party regalia. That is very illegal, if you know anyone doing that tell us and we will deal with them. This regalia was sourced by President Mugabe.

14:23 –If we continue fighting we will embarrass the party in 2018 because even the 31 000 that for us (in Bulawayo) might not because we would have failed to deliver on our promises.

14:17 – People don’t want to vote for MDC but they vote in protest because they are tired of you telling them you that you fought and liberated the nation. Tell them how you will solve the problems. If I want I would have taken advantage of my position and destroyed the party by coercing people to vote for me but no, I have the party at heart. I don’t want to divide the party.

14:12 – The day reckoning should has arrived. We are sick and tired of being misled. We know that some did not want the youth games in Bulawayo but the President insisted they come here. You say there is no factionalism in Bulawayo but you are lying. Right now we have all these people wanting to be Vice President. That is the factionalism we are talking about.

14:05 – You use money to buy people but you are not intelligent enough to take a self-introspection first before rushing to endorse yourself. The problem is that when some people get into positions of leadership those positions get into their heads and they forget why they earned those positions. Bulawayo has a lot of problems but you are fighting for positions when you are failing to solve problems in Bulawayo. First solve the problems in Bulawayo.

14:00 – If people are capable they will be given positions. Someone doesn’t even have a vegetable garden but wants to be Vice President. Consult first before rushing for positions. Bulawayo doesn’t respect each other that’s why we won’t win here. You all want to be individuals. Please sit down and solve this chaos.

13: 55 – We must shun the imposition of candidates. No one will follow an imposed individual. Dr Nkomo is surely not happy because we are undoing what he did The Bulawayo leadership will really trouble us. Honestly if we had unity of purpose we wouldn’t have these five names being peddled around for the Vice President position.

13:50 – What’s wrong with Bulawayo? The Bulawayo leadership promised us victory but nothing was delivered. We have people saying we are Zapu. Do you think anything will come out there? – Dr Mugabe

13:45 – We forged unity so that we develop the country. Ubaba Mugabe and ubaba Nkomo had a unity of purpose – Dr Mugabe

13:38 – Dr Grace Mugabe takes to the podium. What dish has she prepared for us?

13:35 – We realised there were weevils in our party that’s why we decided to look for a spanner to deal with the people who want to destroy our party – Cde Muchinguri.

13:32 – Cde Oppah Muchinguri speaks and she says Dr Mugabe is “Our queen, our angel, our leader, our Cremora!”

13:29 – Some of the high ranking Zanu-PF officials here are Professor Jonathan Moyo, Cde Supa Mandiwanzira, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, Cde Oppah Muchinguri, Cde Olivia Muchena, Cde Temba Mliswa and Cde Edna Madzongwe to name a few.

13:18 – Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Eunice Sandi-Moyo says that Bulawayo is faced with a lot of problems. The biggest problem is unemployment – “It’s disappointing that Bulawayo has been turned into a ghost town with some people preferring to just close down buildings and refusing to let them out to interested people. Those who rent out their buildings charge exorbitant fees. If people let their buildings lie idle we will find ways to take them.”

13:05 – The Unity Accord was not a transaction but a transformation. The party could do with leaders with vision not people with no vision. The party can’t afford to babysit such people – Professor Ndlovu

13:01 – Zanu-PF Bulawayo chairperson Professor Callistus Ndlovu says there is no factionalism in Bulawayo. Differences but no divisions.

12:55 – The Zanu-PF leadership is being introduced. This is necessary, not everyone knows the bigwigs in Zanu-PF

12:40 – Youths are waving Mazoe Orange Crush and denouncing Gematox. I guess that means Dr Grace Mugabe’s message of unity is palatable to them.

12:25 – First Lady has arrived at Amazulu and the crowd goes wild. They are singing and shouting “mama!”

11:54 – Zanu-PF national chairperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo has arrived at the venue. The First Lady is about to come to Amazulu Sports Club.

11:43 – Amazulu Sports Club is a sea of yellow and green as most of the crowd, (women are in the majority), are proudly wearing Zanu-PF regalia. We are told that the First Lady is close by.

11:16 – Ministers, Politburo members, Central Committee members are now at the venue. We await the arrival of the First Lady.

11:09 – Amazulu Sports Club now full to capacity. There are long winding queues outside the venue. People are excited. Things haven’t been this interesting since the harmonised election campaigns. Dr Mugabe surely knows how to wow the nation.

10:56 – The First Lady is in Bulawayo at Bulawayo Polytechnic College. She is locked in a meeting with the Zanu-PF Bulawayo leadership.

Preamble: The First Lady is in Bulawayo today and Chronicle reporter Auxilia Katongomara tells us that Bulawayo is ready. If you have not read her story you can read it below here as we await Dr Grace Mugabe to introduce herself to the city of kings.

All is set for the First Lady Grace Mugabe’s eighth rally at AmaZulu Sports Club in Bulawayo today. Zanu-PF chairperson for Bulawayo, Professor Callistus Ndlovu, yesterday said the province was ready for the big rally expected to attract thousands of Bulawayo residents.
“Everything is in place and we’re just waiting for the big day. I’m calling upon all Bulawayo residents and people from surrounding areas to come in their numbers to meet the First Lady,” said Prof Ndlovu.

Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said he was happy with the preparations and urged residents to come in their numbers to meet Cde Mugabe.

“We had come to inspect the venue and check on preparations and I must say we’re happy because everything is in place. We’re therefore urging all citizens to come in their numbers to meet Umama,” said Dr Ndlovu.

Yesterday Cde Mugabe who has been nominated Women’s League secretary, addressed yet another successful rally at Somhlolo Stadium in Lupane.

She has since addressed The Meet the People rallies in Chinhoyi, Mutare, Gweru, Gwanda, Harare, Masvingo, Lupane and Mutare.

At all her gatherings, the First Lady’s message has been centred on unity, development and family building.

All the 10 provinces have welcomed Cde Mugabe’s ascendancy to the Women’s League top post.

The First Lady in her refreshingly candid addresses has blasted some local authorities for demolishing houses before providing alternative accommodation to affected residents.

She has also castigated police brutality on women vendors that she says are struggling to fend for their families.