PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has rallied the legion of Zanu-PF supporters to ensure a sweeping victory in the by-elections slated for the first quarter of next year, adding that the polls will serve as a litmus test for the revolutionary party’s preparedness for the 2023 harmonised elections.
Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at Kopa Grounds
in Chimanimani yesterday, President Mnangagwa said a resounding victory for
Zanu-PF was inevitable as the party through the Government had rolled out a lot
of projects that positively impacted on people’s lives.
As of October 22, Zimbabwe had a total of 133 elective
by-elections at National Assembly and local authority levels.
The by-elections were necessitated by recalls of MDC-T
members from the two bodies (National Assembly or local authorities), deaths
and dismissals.
“We will be holding by-elections during the first quarter
of 2022. As Zanu-PF, we want a clean sweep of all the vacant seats. This will
serve as a litmus test of our preparedness for the 2023 harmonised elections.
We should register and vote in our numbers to ensure that the country remains
in safe hands.
“Mobile registration exercises will be rolled out in all
deserving areas, and those without identification particulars should take
advantage of this exercise to acquire the documents and register as voters.
“The mobile registration exercise should ensure that all
people have the necessary identification details without any hassles. We want
to ensure that as many people as possible are registered as voters,” said President
Mnangagwa.
He reiterated calls for peace to ensure that the
development trajectory the country has taken is not derailed.
“We should continue developing our economy. This can only
be achieved if there is peace in the country. We should all be peaceful.
“My Government will ensure that no-one, and no place is
left behind in the development trajectory. There is no province you can point
saying there is no development taking place. From Matabeleland to all corners
of the country there are activities happening on the ground. We are working at
alleviating the perennial water challenges that were bedevilling Bulawayo and
other cities in the country.
“We are also happy with the progress on the
Harare-Beitbridge Road, and from January, we will be embarking on the
Harare-Kanyemba Road construction project. Every member of the National
Assembly should come up with a list of projects that will benefit their
constituencies and the Constituency Development Fund should be put to maximum
use,” said President Mnangagwa.
As Zimbabwe moves towards the rainy season where weather
experts have predicted a normal to above normal season, occasioned by natural
disasters, President Mnangagwa, said Government has already availed funds for
early warning systems as well as mitigatory measures to save lives and protect
infrastructure.
“As a country we are prone to natural disasters and we have
set aside funds to mitigate against them. We should be adequately prepared for
any disasters. We should have in place early warning systems as well as
mitigatory measures. Mechanism should also be put in place to ensure minimum
damage of infrastructure in the event of these natural disasters,” he said.
He said Zimbabwe like any other country is also suffering
the brunt of climate change, a reason why it added its voice to calls by the
developing world to be accorded a transition period to move from fossil fuels
to green energy.
“We were recently in Glasgow, Scotland, where the issue of
the continuous use of fossil fuels took centre stage. After developing their
countries through the use of fossil fuels, the developed world is advocating
for their ban, but we stood up against them.
“The developed world is the major contributor to climate
change through the emission of gases when they were developing their industries
and now want Africa, Latin America and Asia to stop using fossil fuels, yet we
have large deposits of them like coal.
“We called for a transitional period of between 15 to 30
years for us to move to green energies. The developed world should avail funds
for the developing world to invest in solar energy, wind-powered electricity
generating turbines and biogas.
This is not an overnight event as climate change does not
select between the developed and developing world,” said President Mnangagwa.
Turning to the Pfumvudza programme which he will be
launching in Gokwe today, President Mnangagwa said everyone should benefit
regardless of having prepared the fields or not.
“There should be no discrimination in the distribution of
inputs under the Pfumvudza programme. Agritex extension officers should ensure
that everyone benefits. Those who fail to benefit from this Government
programme should not hesitate to approach their traditional leaders or law
enforcement agents for redress,” said President Mnangagwa. Herald
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