CONFUSION surrounds President Robert Mugabe’s nationwide victory rallies to thank Zanu PF supporters for handing him a resounding victory in the last general elections with top party officials offering divergent accounts on the plan.
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Mugabe won re-election almost 10 months ago polling 61% of the vote ahead of his rival Morgan Tsvangirai who got 34%.
The party pledged to hold high profile victory celebrations countrywide from the presidency to councillors.
However, 10 months down the line, there has been silence.
Zanu PF national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo yesterday professed ignorance over the tours, but national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo said he had been to “many meetings thanking voters”.
Earlier this year, party officials announced that the presidium would embark on “thank you” tours.
However, Gumbo told Southern Eye yesterday that he was not aware of the programme.
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“I am not aware of such a programme. Ask the national chairman,” he said.
Khaya Moyo said the tours are ongoing.
“I have been to many areas countrywide myself thanking the voters. Are you not aware of that?
“The president (Mugabe) has also been to several areas,” he said.
Matabeleland North provincial party commissar Martin Khumalo told a Zanu PF provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in March that the tours would start in April in Matabeleland South.
“The president, vice-president and national chairman will be going around thanking people for voting Zanu PF in the elections,” he said then.
“The programme will start in April and I think Matabeleland South will be the first port of call and other provinces would follow.”
In its election manifesto, Zanu PF said it would create value of $7,3 billion from the indigenisation of 1 138 companies across 14 key sectors of the economy.
It said it would generate over $1,8 trillion created from the idle value of empowerment assets unlocked from parastatals, local authorities and mineral rights.
It added that several initiatives would create 2 265 million jobs across sectors of the economy and “contribute to export earnings, food security and to the fiscus among many other benefits including urban housing, and construction on peri-urban farms acquired during the land reform exercise”.
But 10 months on, the situation on the ground remains grim and is getting worse amid growing signs that the economy is in meltdown, piling more misery on the already struggling citizens.
