The Sunday News
THE Zanu-PF Matabeleland North provincial leadership has declared that the Tsholotsho North National Assembly seat is theirs, with teams having already been deployed to start campaigning ahead of the June 10 by-elections.
The party recently endorsed Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo, as its candidate for Tsholotsho North in the upcoming by-elections.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Zanu-PF Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting held at Tsholotsho High School in Tsholotsho yesterday, chairperson Cde Richard Moyo said they were leaving no stone unturned in their campaigns as they did not want the constituency to fall back into the wrong hands.
He said the time had come to learn from their past mistakes and ensure that they convince people to vote for the revolutionary party.
“We are a united party, especially here in Matabeleland North. We did not even have to hold primary elections because we knew what we wanted and people out there are fast realising this. Just look at the confusion that is happening within the MDCs, it is clear testimony that we are the only party that has the people’s needs at heart.
“Right now our teams are busy campaigning, everything has been set in motion. After the nomination court we will dispatch Politburo and Central Committee members to bolster the current teams on the ground and I would like to declare to anyone with doubt out there that come 10 June Tsholotsho North will come back to where it belongs,” said Cde Moyo.
During the meeting, Cde Moyo warned members who were campaigning not to use hate language or rebuke anyone for not voting for Zanu-PF in the past but instead be dignified in convincing the electorate to vote for the ruling party.
“After the nomination court convenes, we will sit down with Tsholotsho District leadership to decide on the campaign strategy. Those who will be campaigning should please desist from the use of hate speech, we must beg the electorate to vote for the party by clearly laying down the party’s policies, in cases where we have to apologise, we must do exactly that.
“However, I must assure members here present that as things stand we have won Tsholotsho North constituency and the Nekabandaba Ward by-elections in Hwange District,” said Cde Moyo.
Speaking during the same meeting, Tsholotsho South legislator, Cde Zenzo Sibanda confirmed that all was well in the district and they were ready to bring back Tsholotsho North to the ruling party.
“We recently visited traditional leaders in Tsholotsho North and they all revealed that they were now embarrassed to talk to Prof Moyo after people voted for an MDC-T candidate but now with the opportunity availed to them they could talk to him, knowing that their subjects would correct their past mistakes.
“In that constituency we have 10 wards and in each of these wards we have 40 people who are actively campaigning, of which all of them are registered voters, meaning even before we go to elections we have over 400 assured votes plus wherever we go people are accepting us and everything is going accordingly, we are simply waiting for the by-elections,” said Cde Sibanda.
In an interview after the meeting, Provincial Affairs Minister in Matabeleland North and Politburo member, Cde Cain Mathema, said Zanu-PF was the ruling party and people were realising that the MDCs were simply there to cause confusion in the country’s politics.
“All things being fair the MDCs had nothing to offer. They were just sent by our country’s detractors to cause confusion. Zanu-PF is the ruling party; we control Parliament and whatever decision is made there, which clearly shows you that there is no use voting for these other candidates as they have no capacity to bring development.
“Just by looking at the works of Zanu-PF here in the district it becomes clear to you all that we are the party to be voted for, in 1980 we had just one secondary school, that is Tsholotsho High School, but today we have over 25.
“We now want development to reach Tsholotsho North not what has been happening since they were under MDC-T. We want every household to have access to water, we want livestock to have access to water, we also want the chiefs to preside over developed areas,” said Minister Mathema.The PCC was also attended by Prof Moyo and Politburo member Cde Thokozile Mathuthu.
The incumbent legislator of Tsholotsho North, Mrs Roselyn Sipepa Nkomo has been accused of neglecting the constituency amid revelations that since she was voted in, she had never uttered a word in Parliament.
