The Patriot was at Mutema Secondary School in Chipinge to witness the 2023 ZANU PF elections campaign launch.
Indeed, we are now in the election season.
Some have said the launch was oversubscribed.
Others said it was the mother of all gatherings. Locals on the other hand said it was one of the best things to have ever happened in the eastern border town, while others described it as ZANU PF’s show of force.
Whatever the case, it took someone on the ground to feel it that ZANU PF is not going anywhere anytime soon – that ZANU PF is here to stay for a very long time.
Of course, the major strength of the Party is that it resonates with the people.
It was evident from the moment we made our way to Mutema Secondary School. With beaming faces, hundreds of people marched to the venue that was already filled to capacity.
I will not mention the cars, buses, lorries and bicycles among other modes of transport.
From their conversations, it was obvious that people were not forced to attend, neither were they on a mission to get party regalia or paraphernalia.
Some were eager to hear from the President and First Secretary of ZANU PF Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Others were eager to simply get a glimpse of the man described by many as a listening President who has greatly transformed peoples’ lives for the better. And some just didn’t want to miss this historic occasion, a first of its kind in Chipinge.
They wanted to be part of history.
And President Mnangagwa spoke from the heart, insisting ‘Manicaland is where Zimbabwe’s light comes from’.
He was spot on.
This is the province that gave birth to numerous illustrious sons and daughters of the soil. The likes of Chief Rekayi Tangwena, Chairman Herbert Chitepo, founder member of ZANU Ndabaningi Sithole, Edgar ‘Two Boy’ Tekere and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri, among others, are all from Manicaland.
Lest we forget, Manicaland was also the gateway to Mozambique.
Many sons and daughters of Zimbabwe crossed to Mozambique to join the liberation struggle via Manicaland, including the late former President Robert Mugabe.
To date, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are inseparable and that is why we are soon going to have the Samora Machel monument in Harare.
But back to the launch.
I have said President Mnangagwa spoke from the heart and reiterated the need for Zimbabweans to preserve our legacy as we go to the polls on August 23.
“We are gathered here to assign each of us duties as sons and daughters of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“And the duty is to safeguard our inheritance; and the revolutionary party, ZANU PF, is the sole custodian of that inheritance.
“There is no other political party in this country that can claim that legitimacy except ZANU PF.”
It is not a secret that unity, peace and development is ZANU PF’s motto and the President emphasised that the first and most important thing in our country is peace.
“We want peace, unity and harmony,” said President Mnangagwa.
“All of us, we should commit ourselves to preserving our peace, our unity and our harmony as a people.
“We may come from different communities but we are one. “We belong to the Kingdom of Munhumutapa.”
Indeed, we are diverse but one and this shall continue to be the message as the ZANU PF campaign trail hits all provinces in the run-up to August 23.
From Chipinge to Bulilima, we are diverse but one.
