The Sunday News
Meluleki Moyo
ON the verge of being dismissed as some political white elephant if not a political kindergarten playground, having played host to a series of poorly attended opposition political rallies which were in some instances snubbed by the principals themselves, White City Stadium last Saturday came back to life as people from all walks of life, converged on the Pelandaba venue, a stone throw from the late Dr Joshua Nkomo’s residence, for a face to face encounter with a very frank African icon called Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
The highly subscribed event took place barely a few hours after living up to the literacy tradition, just a day after President Mugabe welcomed thousands to the world of consciousness, a development which saw him capping 2 423 graduates at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) last Friday. The STEM amplified youthful graduates were drawn from the Faculties of Applied Sciences, the Built Environment, Commerce, Communication, Information Science, Industrial Technology and Medicine.
In a show of solidarity, the Main and the Women’s Wings were present at the Presidential Youth Interface Rally. They simply played witnesses as President Mugabe, coupled with restoring sanity to the tried and tested revolutionary movement, touched on socio-economic issues affecting this special demographic that constitutes an estimated 45 percent of eligible voters, a painful but true fact which perpetually adds salt to the injured opposition.
Probably due to political short-sightedness owing to previously being affiliated with an opposition in disarray, in biblical Zacchaeus fashion, some youths could be spotted perched on trees in the vicinity as they longed for a glance at the decorated and impossible to ignore liberator who alongside other nationalists like the late Dr Joshua Nkomo, played a crucial role in emancipating the oppressed from the chains of colonialism.
Accompanied by the First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe who later on wasted no time in demonstrating her profound love for the nation, the President made a grand entry into the White City Stadium, a few minutes after commissioning yet another Community Information Centre at Nkulumane, the suburb which is home to the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre.
So far more than 80 Community Information Centres have been constructed countrywide and these will go a long way in empowering locals who will use these facilities to develop their areas and in the nexus, better their lives.
Calling a spade a spade and in apparent demonstration that no one is larger than the guided revolutionary movement called Zanu-PF, President Mugabe emphasised on the importance of upholding the party’s ideals, much to the appreciation of the progressive elements of the crowd which thronged the just politically resurrected White City Stadium and in the words of His Excellency:
“Tinotenda, I’m glad that so many have come out. It’s the second city to Harare and we can’t afford to be losing it. But what I did not expect which I had a bit of information about was that some people had arranged to send persons here to boo the First lady.”
Before the event, all roads leading to the normally tranquil Pelandaba suburb became impassable as the Zanu-PF juggernaut rolled in a very intimidating move, demonstrating a mobilisation prowess which went regional, drawing South African artistes who joined their Zimbabwean counterparts, Madlela Sikhobokhobo, Sandra Ndebele and Clement Magwaza in raising the dust in a colourful party-at-a-rally jamboree.
The so far highly oversubscribed youth interface rallies are biased towards creating spaces, fostering a one-on-one encounter consequently setting a platform for an exchange of ideas between President Mugabe and the youths, regardless of political affiliation.
Lessons from White City left many astounded if not confused with regards to why a party with such a magnificent stamina of attracting a bumper crowd of that magnitude could be vilified and portrayed as a draconic dragon by political ghosts in the opposition confines who shamelessly take advantage of their political setting suns to cast long but very temporary shadows. —@melumoyo86
