President Mnangagwa deserves more praise: VP Chiwenga

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa deserves more plaudits than he is currently getting for driving Zimbabwe on a rapid economic development trajectory this country has never seen, Vice President and Zanu PF Second Secretary Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.

VP Chiwenga said this when he addressed thousands of ruling Zanu PF supporters at Chigapa Primary School in Chivi North constituency in Masvingo Province yesterday.

VP Chiwenga said August 23 is an opportunity for the electorate to show its appreciation to President Mnangagwa for the positive impact he has made in virtually every corner of the country through developmental projects.

He said President Mnangagwa should not just be given a mere mandate to finish off his development programs and attainment of an empowered upper-middle income economy but deserves a resounding affirmation.

“What President Mnangagwa has done in the last five years has never been seen before,” said VP Chiwenga, “Since our hard-won independence, this country has never seen such sustained economic development projects in every ward as is currently happening.

“Let us celebrate our very own, let us be proud of ourselves, be proud of our President because we have done so very well. Our President deserves to be celebrated more.

“We have succeeded as a people and there is no one who should come from anywhere to celebrate our success, let us celebrate it ourselves and the best way to show this happiness and celebrate is through voting for Zanu PF resoundingly at the polls.

“Today we have come here to request your vote to finish what we have started, what the Second Republic has done is there for everyone to see.

“There is no ward in this country where you can fail to point at any development work done by the Second Republic under the able leadership of His Excellency President Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

“It is Zanu PF under the leadership of President Mnangagwa that brought devolution so that no one and no place is left behind in development. Through devolution brought about by our leader, the local leadership can identify priority areas for development for Government funding.

“Give President Mnangagwa another term so that he finishes his vision of achieving an empowered upper-middle income economy society by 2030,” said VP Chiwenga.

The VP also took the occasion to echo President Mnangagwa’s consistent call for love, peace, unity, and tolerance before, during, and after the elections.

He said Zimbabweans are known and celebrated the world over for their peaceful nature which should always be summoned to shame a few amongst the populace who may wish to discredit the country and its constitutional processes by engaging in violence.

“I want to appeal to you to remain peaceful as elections draw closer. The peace that we have been enjoying should continue,” said VP Chiwenga.

“We are saying no to violence, let us shame those who are coming to observe our elections expecting that there will be no peace here. We are a disciplined people and we should vote peacefully,” he said.

He also took a swipe at opposition formations that wish to reverse the gains of hard-won national independence.

On its part, Chivi is Chivi North constituency, and Chivi District in general is basking in the glory of developmental projects championed by the Second Republic alluded to by VP Chiwenga. The ruling party’s parliamentary candidate Cde Godfrey Mukungunugwa said the people of Chivi North are eager to affirm President Mnangagwa’s leadership together with the party’s candidates for council and the legislature.

Cde Mukungunugwa told The Herald that prior to the coming on board of the Second Republic Chivi had serious water supply challenges with dams running dry thus negatively impacting people’s lives. To address the water supply challenges, all 11 wards in the constituency have had boreholes drilled under President Mnangagwa’s national borehole drilling scheme which is meant to ensure that the populace, in every corner of the country, gets easy access to clean drinking water.

The boreholes are also supplying dip tanks, and irrigation schemes. Some boreholes were also drilled near dams for people’s drinking and such dams include Dhume, Chavandimo, Maziva, and Ndagara.

Through devolution funds Mhandamabwe Primary School was also built so as to reduce the distance travelled by children to school.

Cde Mukungunugwa is also implementing a massive tower lights project to reduce criminal activity around business centers at night.

Under the Presidential Borehole Drilling program Chivi has benefited 40 boreholes that have seen the resuscitation of deep tanks and coming on board of irrigation schemes.

In education, Tugwi, Tambudzai, Zvemapere, and Jena schools have been built and there are plans for the expansion of Ruwe Ruchena Secondary School. There are also plans for the electrification of Chingwikuti, Vuravhisa, and Rutedze Schools and a Vocational Training Centre at Chivi growth point.

On the health front, Chivi had Gwanya Clinic built and opened last year, Zvemapere Clinic is under construction. In the mining sector mines are being opened creating more employment with ZhongXin Chrome mine currently revamping its operations.

Key provincial projects include the upgrade of Buffalo Range Airport, Tugwi-Mukosi Master Plan that was completed last year, 215 boreholes were drilled under the Presidential Rural Industrialisation and Development Programme and 405 662 families benefiting inputs from the Pfumvudza/Intwasa.