The ManicaPost
News Editor
MANICALAND has stepped up preparations to host President Mugabe who is scheduled to address youths in the province on June 16 at Sakubva Stadium.
The date of President Mugabe’s visit to Manicaland was announced by Zanu-PF national secretary for youth affairs, Cde Kudzi Chipanga at an inter-district meeting attended by more than 5 000 people at Marymount Teachers’ College in Mutare last Sunday.
Cde Chipanga also announced that Manicaland will hold next year’s 21st Movement celebrations.
“The main aim of this meeting is to prepare for President Mugabe’s address of youths in Manicaland scheduled for June 16. Some people wanted the address to be held at Mutare Aerodrome, but we feel that Sakubva Stadium is the ideal venue. We want a massive turn-out for the event. We want to use the event to determine whether Members of National Assembly still have the masses behind them as introductions will be done based on constituencies. It is now the duty of respective Members of National Assembly to ensure that there is a huge turn-out of people from their constituencies to save themselves from embarrassment which comes with poor mobilisation.
“In 2014 we had our National People’s Congress where we agreed that President Mugabe is our sole candidate. There is one-centre of power in Zanu-PF which is President Mugabe. We don’t vote for age, but ideologies and that is why we are saying all youths should rally behind President Mugabe,” said Cde Chipanga.
He urged youths to mobilise more members to register as voters.
“We want to reaffirm our support for President Mugabe. No coalition will dislodge Zanu-PF from power. As youths we should use our numbers to have more votes for President Mugabe.
“Singing and sloganeering will not guarantee President Mugabe’s victory unless we all register and vote,” he said.
He went on to urge youths to respect serving Members of National Assembly and councillors.
“We were in Mashonaland East recently and Members of National Assembly there were saying some youths are causing discord as they are eyeing their constituencies. Let me remind everyone here that there are no primary elections scheduled for this year. Let us work together with those in office until the end of their term of office. We want disciplined youths.
“We know that there are some MPs who usually switch off their phones whenever they know that there will be youth programmes. As youths you should not lose heart because time will come for you to switch off your phones when these MPs desperately need your votes,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Manicaland provincial youth chairman, Cde Mubuso Chinguno, said they had intensified their efforts to ensure that President Mugabe secures one million votes from youths in Manicaland in 2018.
“Youths are in the majority and we are mobilising one million votes for President Mugabe in the province come 2018. Our target group is those from 18 to 35 years. From the 2013 harmonised elections statistics, we established that only five percent of youths participated and we want more numbers in 2018. We are encouraging youths to vote for President Mugabe because we have benefitted a lot from empowerment programmes being championed by our iconic leader.
“We are also targeting youths in tertiary institutions as well as Advanced Level students as most of them will be eligible voters next year,” he said.
