THERE are many reasons to explain why the ZANU PF juggernaut continues to roar and reverberate across the country as has been the case since its historic formation on August 8 1963.
And on Saturday last week when it descended on Magunje Growth Point, Mashonaland West Province, to further fortify its eternal alliance with the masses, it proved beyond reasonable doubt that it is a behemoth and a colossal entity of all seasons and eras.
And more is the force that ZANU PF is.
The Party has deftly moulded this attractive machine that draws friends and foes towards an enduring sense of longing and belonging with ease.
Magnificent would arguably be a more accurate adjective.
The Party, buoyed by its ever swelling popularity and gigantic numbers at its rallies, arrived in Magunje on a solid resume.
It came to exhibit to the masses the loads of developmental projects in its wake; initiatives that have taken place in an economy that is under the dreadful cosh of Western-imposed illegal sanctions but still the ZANU PF-led Government has swiftly responded to the needs of the nation.
It was in many ways the perfect homecoming to a Party that has transcended all generations through its stoic stance on the ideals of the liberation struggle as well as its ongoing determined drive to hand over to the majority unfettered control of the land and the economy.
They were there in thick of things; all generations braving the initially bitterly cold Magunje morning to interact with their leaders and stroll home armed with the delight of adequacy in the direction the country is taking.
They did not come to listen to their leaders.
They came to interact, bear witness and endorse the unprecedented transformation that the country has gone through over the past six years.
This is development that one does not need to be told about — it’s there for all to see.
So too is the Promised Land which is within our reach and is being witnessed and enjoyed in our time!
And it was time for the ZANU PF and country’s leadership to come back home.
Homecomings, by their very nature, evoke emotive feelings and this was no different in Magunje.
And here we assert our earlier assertion that this is no longer about crowds.
That debate was settled long back and on Saturday, this too was firmly on show as thousands graced the Magunje rally.
The optics are definitely not good for the country’s detractors whose marauding, deceptive overtures in Zimbabwe will be laid to rest on August 23.
The optics present the perfect picture; the picture of a Party that has long resided in the hearts and minds of the masses and will continue to do so for many years to come.
This is because ZANU PF is a Party of all generations.
In Magunje, there were moments that will linger; monumental moments that buttressed the essence of the country’s founding principles.
The mammoth gathering was about development and reincarnating the spirit of the liberation struggle — the perfect ammunition for a people contending with the shameless activities of imperialism and neo-colonialism from the country’s erstwhile colonisers and their inept allies.
“Our only task is to carry forward the legacy left by those who went ahead of us. Here in Mashonaland West, there are so many heroes and heroines who fought for this country,” said President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We are obliged to celebrate them.
“Mashonaland West bequeathed us a lot of freedom fighters who fought for our freedom.
“In 1966, the armed struggle started here when the seven heroes died in Chinhoyi.
“Our first President came from this side. There are others like James Chikerema who went into politics around 1956/ 1957; they came from this side. Our first Chief Justice after independence, Enoch Dumbutshena, came from this side.”
There too was time to whip into line those who have been colluding with the opposition and Western countries to manipulate the currency in order to galvanise the masses to turn against their Government.
These people have coalesced around a rowdy grouping of businesspeople who are on a mission to sway the vote in favour of the embattled opposition CCC.
Their project, conceived in May last year by some Western Embassies in Harare, involves sabotaging the local currency so that there will be price increases, incurring the wrath of the masses in the process.
“There are some businesses that are fighting us, especially soon after we proclaimed dates for elections. Prices started going up, and our Zimbabwe dollar was under attack, with the rate going up,” said President Mnangagwa.
“This was done by those who wanted the people to turn against Government. We sought to find out who these people are.
“Last time I mentioned some of them. I also have a list of others. But I am going to name them next week in Zaka. Today, I want to warn them by saying that I sent my people to them two days ago, to tell them that what they are doing is not (right).”
The message is clear: ZANU PF’s developmental thrust, since November 2017, has done its work and won this election for the Party.
And the people cannot wait to see their leader in the next star rally.
