Election already in Zanu-PF’s bag: Youths
PRESIDENT Mugabe’s Youth Interface Rallies in the country’s 10 provinces, which started in Mashonaland East with a bumper crowd two weeks ago, will serve to confirm Zanu-PF and its leader’s victory in next year’s elections.
Thousands of people thronged Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on 2 June, and party youths in other provinces have since undertaken to mobilise bigger crowds in their respective provinces. The Zanu-PF Youth League last week said the bumper crowds expected at the coming rallies will confirm the massive support that Zanu-PF enjoys, poising President Mugabe as a sure victor in next year’s plebiscite. Political think tanks have also predicted President Mugabe and Zanu-PF’s victory in the 2018 polls.
Zanu-PF Youth League leader Cde Kudzanai Chipanga said Zanu-PF, through the Marondera rally has flexed its magnetic potency, sending jitters in the opposition ranks. Cde Chipanga said the overwhelming turn out at the President’s rally in Marondera showed why the opposition parties needed to come up with a coalition to contest Zanu-PF.
“It’s not a secret that we have already won the elections. Other parties have to come up with a coalition because they have seen that they cannot go against Zanu-PF as individual parties. That alone is a sign that they have conceded defeat. They can go ahead and form a coalition but they’ve already lost. Remember a coalition if you add zeros you get a zero.”
Cde Chipanga said the Zanu-PF Youth League was so confident of an election victory such that they were already preparing for President Mugabe’s swearing-in ceremony.
“Zanu-PF is the only game in town. There is only one person who is popular in the country and that is Cde RG Mugabe. As the Zanu-PF Youth League, we are no longer counting the opposition. We are now waiting for the swearing-in ceremony next year because Zanu-PF has already won the 2018 election,” he said.
Cde Chipanga urged youths to heed the wise words of counsel when the President addresses them during the visits. Zanu-PF provincial youth chairpersons last week said youths in their respective provinces were more than eager to meet President Mugabe and preparations for the Presidential Youth Interface Rallies were going on well.
Bulawayo provincial youth chairperson Cde Anna Mokgohloa said the province was more than prepared to meet President Mugabe.
“We are very much prepared to meet the President. We are just waiting for the date. We have a number of challenges and we are happy that this time around we will present them direct to the President. Bulawayo is going to have a record attendance. That will send a strong message to the opposition that Zanu-PF is going to turn the tables and reclaim all the seats in Bulawayo come 2018.”
Midlands provincial youth chairperson Cde Prosper Machando said the President’s visit to the Midlands Province will show the whole world that Zanu-PF was the real deal.
“It will be the first of such kind to be held here and as a province we want the meeting to go down in history as the best. We saw what happened in Mashonaland East, trust me Midlands is going to be bigger. We want to show the world that as Midlands Province, we are fully behind President Mugabe,” he said.
Matabeleland North youth provincial secretary for information and publicity Cde Elias Dube said the province had already started mobilising resources in preparation for the President’s visit.
“Resource mobilisation has already started. Youths in the province are excited. Judging by the mood right now, the youths would rather have him today. As a province we are optimistic of a bumper crowd bigger than the preceding provinces,” he said.
Matabeleland South provincial youth chairperson Cde Lizwe Moyo said the province had already started holding inter-district meetings to mobilise the youth for the President’s visit.
“Right now we are in Beitbridge for an inter-district meeting to mobilise youths for the rally. We were in Insiza on Wednesday, now we are left with Gwanda and Umzingwane,” he said.
Cde Moyo said youths in the province would want to use the meeting to thank President Mugabe for the housing stands they were allocated.
“The youths would want to express their views to their leader directly without anyone going between and this is a perfect opportunity. The youths also want to thank the President for the housing stands. President Mugabe is our candidate for the 218 elections and we are going to show it through this rally,” he said.
In Masvingo, provincial youth chairperson Cde Nobert Ndaarombe said the province would hold an inter-district conference today as part of preparations for the President’s interface with youths in the province.
“The youths are quite eager to meet the President, the same with adults in the province who will obviously attend the rally. In terms of numbers, one needs to be there to see for them self. Masvingo is a Zanu-PF province and this rally will be testimony,” he said.
The second leg of the Presidential Youth Interface Rallies will be in Manicaland province on Friday where the youth league has promised to mobilise over 60 000 people. After Manicaland the President will meet youths in Masvingo, while the programme for other provinces will be announced in due course.