Defence and War Veterans’ Affairs Minister Cde Oppah
Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is also Zanu-PF national chairperson, said this while
addressing party supporters in Bulilima East constituency during belated
celebrations following the constituency’s MP Cde Mangaliso Ndlovu’s victory in
last year’s parliamentary polls.
Cde Ndlovu is also the Minister of Industry and Commerce. Cde
Muchinguri-Kashiri’s call for people to shun protests come at a time when the
MDC-A and its sympathisers are planning demonstrations on Friday.
“The hard-won Independence that you are cherishing today
was brought by the living and fallen gallant sons and daughters who fought
during the liberation struggle. Therefore, you should defend the freedom that
you are enjoying today and us as the living heroes and heroines of the
liberation struggle, we will defend the gains of the liberation struggle,” she
said.
“There are some people (opposition political elements) who
are mobilising the masses to stage demonstrations on the 16th of August to go
about killing people, bombing and destroying infrastructure to cause
despondency in our country so that they overthrow the constitutionally-elected
Government.”
The economic saboteurs, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said, were
also working in cahoots with the opposition to increase prices of basic
commodities in the country to effect regime change.
“As Government, we urge the citizens not to take heed of
the planned mass protests. Such barbaric acts are predisposed to retard
economic and social development being advanced by the Government in sync with
the aspirations of the national vision to transform the country into an upper
middle income economy by 2030,” she said.
In January, the country was plunged into chaos during
violent protests that saw some people losing their lives and public
infrastructure being destroyed costing the country millions of dollars.
Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said Government was championing
developmental programmes aimed at transforming the economy and uplifting the
living standards of citizens through income-generating projects regardless of
political affiliation.
“The Government will ensure that no one starves following
the drought that has ravaged the country and soon food under the drought relief
programme will be distributed,” she said.
As Bulilima East Constituency was a dry region, Cde
Muchinguri-Kashiri said she had been briefed before the celebrations that in
the past the constituency was lagging behind on public transport and social
amenities such as schools and clinics.
To alleviate the transport challenges, she said, she had
been briefed that a bus will soon be plying a route to the constituency under
the mass public transport system the Government has launched.
In an interview after the victory celebrations, Cde Ndlovu
said he would work to promote development in Bulilima East Constituency.
“In Bulilima East constituency we have 11 rural wards and
six Plumtree town wards. Of the six in Plumtree town, Zanu-PF got four and of
the 11 the party got 10 so we have 14 out of 17 wards, we only lost three.
“But my attitude to work is that we have 17 out of 17 wards
and I am everyone’s MP including those who did not vote for me. My challenge is
get them to vote for me and if I don’t do that, that is the first line of
measuring success or failure,” he said.
Cde Ndlovu said he highlighted to Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri
that Bulilima East Constituency falls under Region 5, which was a dry region
and thus the area was desperately in need of water.
“And she did respond to that saying the President went to
China and highlighted that because of climate change, areas are getting drier
and drier and we are slowly moving to Region 6.
“The President from his visit got 500 boreholes that are
coming to the three Matabeleland provinces and we are likely as a district to
get about 50 and these are going much deeper between 150 metres and 200
metres,” he said.
The victory celebrations were attended by the Zanu-PF
political leadership from Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North
provinces. Chronicle
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