Leonard Ncube in SIABUWA, Binga
Zimbabwe will remain a unitary State and no amount of machinations from the country’s detractors, or those calling for a separate State, will divide the country, President Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing thousands of ZANU PF supporters who attended the ruling party’s star rally at Siabuwa Business Centre in Binga yesterday, President Mnangagwa said the Second Republic was sorry to the people of Binga, as since Independence, there had never been a visit by a Head of State to the area.
The multi-lingual President charmed the crowd as he addressed them fluently in their Tonga language while also switching to IsiNdebele, Shona and English.
President Mnangagwa said as a listening leader, his administration has heard the plea by Binga, as presented by chiefs when they met ZANU PF Vice President Cde Kembo Mohadi recently.
“You have heard me saying Zimbabwe is one. The Government of Zimbabwe is one. If you ask spirit mediums in any part of the country or ask God, you will be told that Zimbabwe is ruled by ZANU PF. We are a unitary State and those who want to divide or separate the country should be exorcised of the spirit of Legion.
“We want ZANU PF leaders here to unite. If you fail or refuse to be united I will come and fix that. No one has ZANU PF in his or her pocket but ZANU PF has everyone in its pocket.”
Binga has been in the hands of the opposition since 2000 but the ruling party now seeks to reclaim Binga North constituency which fell vacant when then MDC-T’s Prince Dubeko Sibanda was recalled by his party.
The President said the Second Republic would attend to all issues affecting Binga.
“From today we have agreed with my team that we will regularly come here. Two weeks ago, I sent my deputy, Cde Kembo Mohadi, to come and speak to chiefs. We want to address all your concerns and we will sit down with you and see to it that we fix all your problems. I am happy to come here today after you invited me to meet with you people of Siabuwa. Zimbabwe got independent in 1980 and for many years, more than 30 years under President Mugabe, we didn’t get to come here.
“I want you to forgive us and from today things have changed. I want to say the truth that for the past 20 years, Binga, you were not voting for ZANU PF. It’s not your fault but ZANU PF’s fault. Henceforth, all of us, as we walk through this journey, I want us to unite and move together. In this development agenda, let’s all contribute to our development,” said President Mnangagwa in the Tonga language.
He said the Second Republic had committed to develop the country through Devolution which was allocated $42, 5 billion with Matabeleland North receiving $3, 2 billion, in the 2022 national budget.
He said Binga will get a vocational training school, a nurse training school, four Zupco buses, road infrastructure improvement, water infrastructure and solar projects. The Government through the District Development Fund is rehabilitating roads and solar powered boreholes at each of the 17 chiefs’ homesteads.
The President said the Deka Pipeline Project he commissioned on Friday, the 5 MW solar power plant at Cross Mabale and Lake Gwayi-Shangani as well as the Lupane Provincial Hospital are some of the projects that are meant to uplift people’s livelihoods and improve the economy.
The Lake Gwayi-Shangani project is a vital component of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project which was initiated in 1912, but is only coming to reality now with the construction of the Lake set to be completed this year. This comes after the Second Republic poured resources into the project.
The project is viewed as the solution to perennial water problems in Bulawayo and the pipeline will also create a green belt throughout Matabeleland North province.
“These projects will bring respect to chiefs and if a chief chooses to leave all this and go to darkness in the opposition, will that be a proper chief? If you want schools, hospitals and roads to be built for you, only ZANU PF can do that,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President said he will ask Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cde Kazembe Kazembe to deploy officers to each of the Binga chiefs’ areas to register scores of youths who do not have national identity documents.
He warned Non-Governmental Organisations that meddle in politics to stop it or leave the country.
President Mnangagwa said the Government had acceded to an appeal for a Local Board status to Binga Rural District Council and assigned Local Government and Public Works Minister, Cde July Moyo, to facilitate the upgrade.
Sanctions imposed on the country by Western countries, he said, were hurting ordinary citizens but had not deterred Zimbabwe from growing its economy using local resources with the mining industry on course to attain a US$12 billion industry next year.
The President said under the country’s foreign policy, Zimbabwe is not an enemy to anyone, as its engagement and re-engagement drive embraces all members of the global family of nations.
He said the Government now awards contracts to local companies to support local industries as exemplified by the road rehabilitation programme that is being carried out by local firms.
President Mnangagwa said the Government will also construct a decent border facility in Binga.
In attendance were Vice President Costantino Chiwenga, Cde Mohadi, the party’s secretary for administration Cde Obert Mpofu, national political commissar Cde Mike Bimha, Government Ministers, traditional leaders and several other leaders drawn from a cross section of society.
At the event, the party introduced Cde Kudakwashe Mavula Munsaka who is the party’s Binga North candidate, and Tsholotsho South candidate, Cde Musa Ncube as well as Cdes Tonderai Mutasa, Bekithemba Mlotshwa, and Bongani Ndlovu for local government seats in Victoria Falls and Bubi respectively in the by-elections set for Saturday.
The post Zim to remain unitary State, says President appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.