Story by Bruce Chahwanda
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially handed over a Ford Raptor twin-cab vehicle to comedian Leeroy Zaware, fulfilling the pledge he made at the National Youth Symposium on Wednesday.
It is a dream come true for Leeroy Zaware, better known as Comic Elder, as he counted his blessings upon arrival at State House in Harare on Saturday.
The popular comedian had an interactive exchange with the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, explaining why he is always carrying a large bag.
As President Mnangagwa emerged from his office, Comic Elder, who was already in the company of the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and Youth Development, Empowerment and Vocational Training Minister Honourable Tino Machakaire, pulled a driver’s licence from his bag, handing it over to the First Citizen.
Straddling towards the precious gift, like any comedian, Comic Elder kept the head of state in stitches as he threw one or two of his punch lines.
“I am grateful for this gift. I would also like to thank President Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe for their support for recognising us and the skits we are producing. I would also like to thank Honourable Tino Machakaire and Dr Tungwarara for their support. I will also spread the message to young people through comedy to stay away from drugs and substance abuse,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Youth Development, Empowerment and Vocational Training Minister Honourable Tino Machakaire thanked President Mnangagwa for the gesture, encouraging Comic Elder to continuously encourage young people to be forthright.
“We are thankful for Comic Elder and his talent. We want to use his talent to build our nation, to inform our people and raise awareness on various issues. At the moment, we are tackling the scourge of drug and substance abuse, so we want to educate our youth through people such as Comic Elder. We also want to thank the President for keeping his promise and for this gesture. We also thank Dr Tungwarara for pledging to build a house for our comedian, he noted.
Leeroy brought his parents for moral support.
His parents call him Leeroy, but he calls himself Abigirl Chivanda, Obvious Mututu, Nathan Mutsetse, Anna Mugwaku, among other names, but the social media name remains Comic Elder.
The National Youth Symposium sought to capacitate youths and enhance their participation in national development.
