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Vusumuzi Dube, Zimpapers Elections Desk

SATURDAY, July 1, 2023 will go down in history as the day President Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF showed all and sundry that victory in the 23 August harmonised elections is just a foregone conclusion.

This was a day when the ruling party held a Presidential rally at Nyele Primary School in Bulilima district, Matabeleland South province, with thousands of the party’s supporters converging at the venue to show their support to President Mnangagwa and his team.

The rally coincided with the 24th anniversary of the passing of the late former Vice-President, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo, and with the crowd that gathered in Father Zimbabwe’s home province, he was certainly left smiling in his grave.

In his address, an ecstatic President Mnangagwa acknowledged the crowds, revealing that never in his lifetime had he seen such a gathering in Matabeleland South.

The President noted that this was the province where some of the founding fathers of the nation came from, these including Dr Nkomo, Cde Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, Cde George “Tagarira Government” Silundika, Cde Sikhwili Moyo, Cde Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo and Cde Thenjiwe Lesabe.

“So, we, who are their followers have to honour their leadership but most importantly we chose July 1 because Father Zimbabwe, Chibwechitedza, today it’s his 24th anniversary since his passing. So today first and foremost we are celebrating the anniversary of Father Zimbabwe, we are not only celebrating by this huge rally, a rally that has never, never, never happened in this country, particularly Matabeleland South.

“We have never had a rally this big because the spirit of the founding father is among us today. It is hovering here looking at us saying ‘bantwabami you remember me’, so we are here to crown the celebration,” said President Mnangagwa.

The President said the onus was now on every Zimbabwean to safeguard what the founding fathers of the nation — inclusive of Dr Nkomo — fought and sacrificed for.

“Today we have come here as the leadership of Zanu-PF not only to share our journey of the revolution but to consolidate, to deepen our comprehensive understanding of the revolution, the war of liberation, which was fought by both Zanla and ZPRA to liberate this country. We are the beneficiaries of that war, today we are here, liberated, we are 43 years into independence.

“We have to remember where we came from, the legacy we fought for, a legacy where we as black people rule over our land. You have the responsibility of building this country, you have the burden of carrying forward the vision of our founding fathers, the vision of unity, the vision of love, the vision of unity among us, there is no Manyika, no Mukorekore, no Ndebele, all of us are Zimbabweans together,” said President Mnangagwa.

Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga echoed the President’s sentiments saying that the choice of the venue was apt as it showed the President’s desire to stay in close touch with his people, however far-flung they were.

“The whole country is here because the people want to see the President. This is a President that does not mind going to even the most remote parts of the country. Last week, we were far away in Chipinge, where water comes out of rocks. This shows that we have a President that wants to be in touch with the people wherever they are.

“Today I say unto you, we are busy saying five million votes ED Pfee, but Zec has told us there are six million votes, all these should go to our father, President Mnangagwa.

Let’s vote for a peaceful and prosperous nation under President Mnangagwa, let’s vote for economic development under President Mnangagwa.

Let us also vote for tolerance for one another, for a better future in our God-given country under President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, let us vote for the revolutionary party in harmony and peace under our President Mnangagwa,” said VP Chiwenga.

Zanu-PF Vice-President Cde Kembo Mohadi also reiterated that the Nyele crowd was a clear testament to the work done by President Mnangagwa in the five years that he has been in office.

“President Mnangagwa, I will be honest with you, I am from this province, and never have I seen such a huge crowd like the one I am seeing today. Similarly, since I have been a politician — and I must tell you, I entered politics at a tender age — I have never seen the amount of development happening in this country like that which I have seen in the past five years.

“A good leader is seen through four virtues, virtues which President Mnangagwa has continued to exhibit. A good leader should be with the people, listen to their grievances, learn from the people, and also love the people, all of these virtues are embodied within President Mnangagwa,” said Cde Mohadi.

Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Matabeleland South Province Cde Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu also declared that the crowd that attended the Saturday rally should show everyone that come August 23 the province will resoundingly vote for President Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF.

“Today is a huge day, in 1999 on July 1, it was a Thursday, the then President Mugabe announced the death of Dr Joshua Nkomo and today you chose to come and be with the people of Matabeleland South. As a means of honouring the life of Dr Nkomo we say to you come 23 August not a single seat in Matabeleland South is going to the opposition.

“For 13 years from 2000 to 2013, we had serious challenges when the opposition controlled the province. But the province was fully re-liberated in 2013 and from then we have recorded commendable progress under Zanu-PF. It is on record that the opposition cannot account for anything they did between 2000 and 2013. On the other hand, we can spell out various Zanu-PF-led developmental projects from 2013 and more when the Second Republic came into power in 2018,” said Cde Ndlovu.

As the ruling party continues in its campaign trial, one thing which will linger in everyone’s mind will surely be the multitudes that attended the Nyele Primary School rally, and come 23 August this will be remembered as the Nyele endorsement.