Gweru roars to life for Presidential Interface Rally

GWERU will roar to life today as all roads lead to the Midlands Provincial capital for the seventh Presidential Youth Interface Rally. Party members have started arriving in droves for the big day. A bumper crowd of 120 000, surpassing crowds witnessed in other provinces, is expected to throng an open space behind Mkoba Teachers’ College along Hamutyinei Road.

The rally comes at a time when Zanu PF is forging ahead with its mass mobilisation exercise across the country ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections.

President Mugabe is touring provinces countrywide, interfacing with youths at the invitation of the revolutionary party’s Youth League. He has so far been to Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland West provinces. Mashonaland Central will be next to host the popular intreface rallies, followed by Bulawayo with Harare holding the last one.

All the rallies have drawn huge crowds. Zanu-PF Youth League members breathed life into Gweru yesterday when they held a clean-up campaign and a carnival as a precursor to today’s event.

At the venue preparations were almost complete with the setting up of the VVIP tents, the PA system, power by Zesa, tents for medical care givers and water connected at the open space.

The ground had also been compacted and watered to avoid raising dust. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development working with Gweru City Council also spruced up the streets. The youths held a carnival in and around Gweru Central Business District much to the delight of residents who promised to come in numbers.

The police band led the carnival with song and dance.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Kudzanayi Chipanga said preparations for the interface were complete.

“We are done in terms of preparations for the interface. We have assisted the province with 10 000 litres of fuel, 10 000 T-shirts. The province also contributed in resource mobilisation,” he said.

Cde Chipanga said members from all over Midlands province had started travelling to Gweru ahead of the event using transport that was arranged by the province.

He commended the government for chipping in and rehabilitating roads in Gweru CBD, Bristol and Hamutyinei roads.

“The province is also done with human and resource mobilisation. People have started travelling to Gweru. The Government chipped in with funds for road rehabilitation in and around the CBD. We held our last meeting in the morning that was attended by Politburo members who include Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Dr Joram Gumbo to show commitment to the rally. We have inspected the venue and everything is above board,” said Cde Chipanga. Zanu-PF provincial Youth chairperson Cde Prosper Machando said they were ready. “We are excited about the coming of his Excellency Cde Mugabe and Amai Mugabe to our province. We are over-ready for them and we are very excited about the interface, excited about meeting our leader tomorrow. The stages for the VVIP, the artistes, toilets, bins, water, and health facilities are all in place. We promise His Excellency more than 120 000 people to show him that we are fully behind him,” said Cde Machando.

“Today we held a street carnival and a clean-up campaign to make sure that our city is clean ahead of the coming of our leader.”

Midlands Minister for provincial Affairs Cde Jason Machaya said morale in the streets of Gweru is very high adding that people are very excited to meet the President.

“We are ready for the Youth Interface. The stage has been set, the people have been mobilised and will throng the Mkoba Teachers’ College open space tomorrow,” he said.