ED, Chamisa square off in Kwekwe

KWEKWE will this weekend resemble a battlefront as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF party and Nelson Chamisa’s opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) hold separate campaign rallies in the Midlands city ahead of the March 26 by-elections.

The by-elections are meant to fill 105 vacant parliamentary and over 80 local authority seats after some MPs and councillors were recalled.

Mnangagwa will hold a rally in Kwekwe on Saturday at a time when Chamisa will be campaigning in Gokwe town.

The opposition leader will take his campaign trail to Kwekwe on Sunday, which for years has been regarded as Mnangagwa’s turf.

Last Sunday, Chamisa attracted a bumper crowd at an inaugural CCC rally in Highfield, Harare.

Mnangagwa also attracted massive crowds during his rally a fortnight ago in Epworth, outside Harare, where he promised to dish out title deeds to residents in the poor suburb and other informal settlements around the capital.

Chamisa’s rally will be held at Mbizo 4 shopping centre, which is close to Mbizo Stadium, Mnangagwa’s venue for the Saturday rally.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba tweeted: “We are going to be in Kwekwe this weekend. Let’s show them we rule the urban roost.”

CCC Midlands provincial spokesperson Takavafira Zhou said they were expecting a bumper crowd for the Chamisa rally.

“The people’s power will be demonstrated as thousands of supporters are expected to attend these rallies. The most important aspect of a political party is grassroots support and the by-elections will separate the real advocates of change and sustainable development from pretenders. The CCC wave blowing across Zimbabwe will fire yellow warning shots from which it will spring to success in by-elections and 2023 elections. No amount of force and brutality can stop an idea whose time is ripe,” he said.

Traditionally, urban areas have been regarded as opposition strongholds, with Zanu PF ruling the roost in rural constituencies.