The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
THIS year’s election that the country is already counting down to with only 29 days to go will certainly be recorded in the country’s history books as the most, free, fair and credible post-independent Zimbabwe.
A record number of contestants never seen before are running for political office with 23 gunning for the highest political office in the land, the Presidency, something that has never happened before, while the story is not quite different in constituencies and wards where record numbers have also been witnessed.
Sixteen candidates are battling it out in Bulawayo South constituency with MDC Alliance candidate Engineer Francis Mangwendeza, who is a local businessman, saying his political opponents are just but political light weights who have no clout and the requisite political stamina to deny him and his party the seat that had been under the stewardship of MDC since 2000. First it was under Mr David Coltart and then later Mr Eddie Cross.
Eng Mangwendeza, however, admitted to internal confusion caused by a failure of understanding on the part of other party candidates that have successfully submitted papers with the Nomination Court leading to two or three candidates standing in for the party in the same constituency. However, he said the party was putting its foot down on that and expressed optimism that those who lost primary elections would withdraw.
“I have a similar problem in my constituency where we are currently having two candidates representing MDC Alliance. Mr Kunashe Muchemwa who lost primary elections went on and submitted his papers with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and his name appears on the voters’ roll. But that is not so much of a headache to me. The party is dealing decisively with that and we hope they (the candidates) will heed the party’s call to withdraw their candidature and allow those that won to stand,” he said, adding that it was nothing to go to town about it as it was part of internal democracy that others do not understand.”
Eng Mangwendeza said he was not worried by the number of candidates that he is squaring up with as most of them are novices trying to cut their political teeth with little to not known political parties that have absolutely no iota of election history behind them. He warned of embarrassment, disappointment and a feeling of betrayal to political players who were contesting Bulawayo South constituency saying the message that should cascade from top to bottom is very bold and clear that people want a change at all levels of national politics and that his party is the only one, tried and tested and sure to deliver that change.
“The response from the people in my constituency has been massive, overwhelming and encouraging. The people have spoken loud and clear, they want change and MDC Alliance is sure to deliver that change. It’s my first time to contest and I am surely humbled with the kind of support I am getting.
“That it is my first time is not supposed to be seen to mean I am a political novice. I am certainly not. I am not a political push-over. I have been around in the background and was being held back by business commitments, some of which I am now ready to give up. I was there when the party was formed in 1999 and I rose through the structures of the party from branch to provincial level. I realised my time is now and I am sure my timing is not wrong and I get solace from the fact that urban constituencies have traditionally been won by our party with all other parties coming a big distance behind,” said Eng Mangwendeza.
Bulawayo South constituency is made up of two wards which are Six and 21 with Sizinda and Tshabalala making up Ward 21 and such residential areas as Bellevue, Southwold, Barham Green, Newton West and West Somerton contained in Ward Six.
Having lived in Bulawayo for the better part of his life where he has vested business interests Eng Mangwendeza said he was well rooted to the problems that the people of Bulawayo were facing and when elected would stir and steer debate in Parliament on most of the issues, especially on the social and economic part.
He said although raising voices on developmental issues was something that was alien to legislators in Bulawayo as most of them always chose to set themselves on “voicemail” when they entered Parliament, he is going to be different as he was offering himself as a servant leader.
And unlike their rural counterparts that are expected to co-ordinate and champion development in their communities as per their promise when seeking office, urban legislators usually have less pressure when it comes to development as much of the work is done by the responsible local authorities.
Eng Mangwendeza said he would push hard for the adoption of initiatives that better the lives of the people in his constituency and for the improvement of social services in Bulawayo as a whole. He said since there were no bridges, dip tanks and roads to construct, much of the energy in cities and towns was expended on making sure enough noise was made in Parliament so that service provision was top notch and to ensure people get employment.
He said he was aware that a lot more politicians were in politics only to get personal material things to cushion their lives and that of their families from their frugal earnings, but he was not after personal glory but national development that he said was supposed to start from constituency level.
“My anger and disappointment is that politics has brought individual honour and benefits to some politicians we know from the political divide at the expense of development and an improved lifestyle for everyone,” he said, indicating that he is not after riches as he was already an established businessperson whose only interest in politics is to serve the community.
Eng Mangwendeza said he acquired his wealth well before he joined politics as he is a successful businessman.
“My focus is not to amass wealth for myself through looting the country’s resources at every turn but to help others get a better life,” he said.
The point according to him is that the country has lived to see MPs who were not so successful individuals who used to live frugally off their not so paying jobs before politics and were now living large with pot bellies and top of the range cars after they joined politics. Eng Mangwendeza said once voted into office, he would remove his party political jacket and put on a developmental one that knows no party or tribe.
He added that being in an urban constituency, the only other important thing that people look forward to be provided with is employment saying he would push for the revival of the city’s industry particularly the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Cold Storage Company (CSC) as well as textile firms.
“Matabeleland is a cattle country and the placement of CSC in Bulawayo was never a mistake. The only mistake was giving it to people who do not know how to run the business, people who loot, people who are corrupt. If it was in good hands CSC would have been running. Its revival is key because cattle are there in the region and farmers are having a headache of selling them to private abattoirs just because it was run down, we want our youngsters to get employment there,” said Eng Mangwendeza, adding that the Lupane Gas project should also be taken seriously.
He said with the promises of better living standards based on truthful effort and an effective vision espoused by the party, it would only be naïve for the people not to vote for him in this year’s harmonised election. He laughed off people who have been saying the real political tug of war is between MDC Alliance and Zanu-PF saying they are aware of Zanu-PF’s failure in improving their lives.
“Our erstwhile political opponents suffer from amnesia. They forget they have presided over the collapse of the economy and now want to make promises. They suffer from a serious political cancer called bootlicking where leaders bootlick to the point of fearing to say what is right in order to safeguard positions,” said Eng Mangwendeza.
He said he wants to promote youth participation in national development through empowering them with requisite skills using Westgate and NRZ training centres.
Eng Mangwendeza said Mr Cross did his best in the constituency under the harsh economic conditions and exonerated the Bulawayo City Council’s failure in running the city and misplaced priorities saying they are short of revenue as most of their revenue avenues were shut down in the massive de-industrialisation or given to various Government departments such as power generation plant, the dams and other licences that used to make council work tick.
He said devolution would be the answer to the prevailing malady, adding that play grounds, recreational parks and ICT centres are supposed to be revived to fight redundancy in the youths and push for adequate funding of developmental activities.
He lauded the prevailing political situation in the country saying it had been peaceful and urged the spirit of unity in diversity to continue, saying those that are fanning violence are flies in the ointment of a peaceful election environment never witnessed before.
Although he could not give a holistic answer to the sudden eagerness and desire in many to get involved in politics, he pointed to the liberalisation of the political playfield that was made possible by the November 2017 events that saw the resignation of under pressure of former President, Mr Robert Mugabe.
This year’s election has seen those parties that were previously hesitant to field candidates doing so with so much ease removing the long held notion that the people of Zimbabwe were becoming used to the two traditional parties of Zanu-PF and MDC.
Eng Mangwendeza has also been involved in charity work. Last week, he donated uniforms and shoes to pupils at Mahlabezulu Primary School in Tshabalala. He also donated building materials and cooking equipment to another school in the constituency, Greenfrield Primary School. He was accompanied by his party’s council candidate for ward six, Mr Tawanda Ruzive.
