Mujuru party intensifies campaign

Politics
The Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) yesterday held an incident-free rally in Harare after last weekend’s meeting was disrupted by Zanu PF supporters.

The Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) yesterday held an incident-free rally in Harare after last weekend’s meeting was disrupted by Zanu PF supporters.

BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA

ZimPF’s rally in Glen View last weekend ended in bloodshed as Zanu PF youths pelted former vice-president Joice Mujuru’s supporters with stones, but yesterday’s event at Warren Park Recreational Grounds was peaceful.

Over 500 people of different age groups attended the rally addressed by former Zanu PF central committee member and ZPF Harare Province convener Munyaradzi Banda, who together with other speakers implored the supporters to remain united and shun violence.

The rally resembled a church gathering as speaker after speaker quoted Biblical verses while at the same time preaching peace.

The crowd would burst into different hymns and church choruses that one would have mistaken the rally for a church gathering.

Speakers also took every chance to clear the name of their leader Joice Mujuru, while at the same time affirming her as the next leader of the country.

It was also a confession galore as speakers like former deputy information minister, Bright Matonga said they were responsible for spreading Zanu PF propaganda and withholding the 2008 election results won by MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

“We know how it [rigging] is done because we were once with them,” Matonga said.

“I was responsible for the propaganda and in 2018 we will be monitoring them. That there is Nikuv, we will be watching every step.”

Banda said he was there when the infamous National Youth Service was set up.

“We started Border Gezi together with Comrade Mahiya before it was snatched by thieves. It was a good programme but it was taken over and became rogue,” he said.

Banda also took a swipe at President Robert Mugabe’s continued attacks on the late general Solomon Mujuru.

“In Shona we say wafawanaka but the old man [Mugabe] who got assistance from Mujuru for him to be accepted as a leader of the freedom fighters in Mozambique as well as in 2008 keeps bad-mouthing him. Why keep bad-mouthing him?” he quipped.

“Let me tell you, it is to instil fear in you so that you will think if Mujuru, such a decorated soldier, died in such a manner, then even my ash will not be seen. We his close friends are pained by those things. We are going to rule in 2018.”

He said heroism was about how one’s journey ended and not how it started and urged members of the uniformed forces to respect the people as they may need them later when they retire.

Among those who attended the rally were Zanu PF MP for Gutu South and former deputy Health minister Paul Chimedza, advocate Gift Nyandoro and Donald Chimatira, a former Zanu PF activist.