President Emerson Mnangagwa had to cut short his last rally speech in his home provinces-Midlands after bussed people from all the country’s provinces began to walk out of his address due to incoherence and hunger.
The Zanu PF rally held in Shurugwi ended abruptly with no traditional vote of thanks being made by Vice President Kembo Mohadi as people were busy running away from the rally with some saying they were tired and needed to catch buses to their homes early.
In the middle of Mnangagwa’s address which lasted for 30 minutes, tired, hungry and seemingly disoriented people walked out of the rally forcing the president to plead for patience.
“I see people are walking about, please sit down. I am about to finish. Listen very carefully, I want to talk to the youths, you young people, stop taking drugs,” said Mnangagwa as many people had stood up while some were already on their way to buses that had been parked a kilometre from the venue.
Zanu PF had bused people from all 10 provinces to fill up the ground at Tongogara High School.
Despite the plea from the president, people continued to walk out.
This was Mnangagwa’s last rally ahead of the August 23 polls where the 80-year-old Zanu PF leader faces a stiff challenge from 45-year-old Nelson Chamisa.
In his address which was largely in
English to enable foreign dignitaries to understand his message, Mnangagwa aimed election observers by telling them not to come to Zimbabwe with a foregone conclusion on how elections have been handled and whether they are free and fair.
“Can I talk to our observers, please don’t come here with a foregone conclusion about our elections. We want elections observers that are open-minded, don’t come here to tell us how we must run out elections. No one can tell us about democracy, we fought for this. We spent 16 years fighting for this democracy.
It was never given to us on a silver platter, we fought for it,” said Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa said his party was confident of victory alleging that they have developed the country through various projects such as roads and construction of roads.
The president pleaded for peace ahead of the polls. The rally was attended by former Mozambique president Joachim Chissano the head of the high-level panel on debt clearance and resolution who is observing the polls so that he could brief institutions that are owed by Zimbabwe on whether Harare was ready for reforms.
His Zanu PF has been accused of unleashing violence against opposition Citizen Coalition for Change supporters.
The Zanu PF leader who is seeking a second and last term –if he wins and adheres to the constitution–took his supporter through a history lecturer on how Zanu PF defeated the white majority that had ruled Zimbabwe – SN News
