President Mnangagwa says the harmonised elections slated
for July 30 will proceed as he proclaimed, despite the cowardly terrorist act
by yet to be identified people who detonated an explosive that killed two
people and injured 47 others at White City Stadium on Saturday.
The blast, which was largely targeted at President
Mnangagwa who had just addressed a rally at the stadium, was believed to have
been engineered to portray a picture that the country was not ready for
credible elections.
Some opposition parties were already saying they would
petition Sadc over the conduct of the elections on July 30 following Saturday’s
incident.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the launch of
the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa
said nothing was going to stop the polls.
“Who told you elections are stopping? I declared and
proclaimed elections and who is attempting to de-proclaim what I proclaimed?
The elections will be on the 30th of July this year, 2018,” said President
Mnangagwa.
On Sunday Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga reiterated
the same message saying nothing would stand in the way of the elections.
Addressing Zanu-PF supporters at Chibuku Stadium in
Chitungwiza, VP Chiwenga said: “Before I proceed, let me make it clear for I
know we have got our friends from the Press, that nothing will stop the
elections in Zimbabwe, nothing at all.
“Zimbabwe is going for a new trajectory, a Zimbabwe we
want, a Zimbabwe which the people want. The harmonised elections, come 30th of
July, will go ahead.
“That act of terrorism which happened in Bulawayo is
nothing, it does not deter us. But if the colleagues running for harmonised
elections on the 30th of July are afraid and scared, they will be given
security. The police will hunt down the criminal or those criminals and they
will be brought before the law.
“The act does not stop anything, so we must all continue to
campaign peacefully because we want an election, which is free, violence-free
and credible. An election, which the people of Zimbabwe will say ‘this is our
election’ and these are the leaders whom we have elected, free of any influence.”
Investigations are still underway to establish what caused
the blast.
Zanu-PF leadership in Bulawayo where the explosion occurred
said victory was certain for the ruling party despite Saturday’s unfortunate
incident.
The party’s Bulawayo secretary for finance, Cde Mlungisi
Moyo, said: “This is the work of desperate people trying to put a dent on
Bulawayo province.
“The new dispensation started off here, so it’s people who
are working desperately to make sure we lose the foundation we have set for the
dispensation. Despite this incident, Zanu-PF is going to win resoundingly in
the forthcoming elections. We are going to support our President and we will
stand by him.” Herald
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