Story by Tichaona Kurewa
ZANU PF has welcomed over 500 returnees in Hwange District, including former senior officials from the opposition, who have been charmed by the ruling party’s national development drive.
Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) senior officials who include former Victoria Falls Mayor Somvelo Dhlamini and former Binga North legislator Patrick Nene Sibanda and some former opposition councillors are among the 500 returnees received by the ruling party.
Speaking at a welcome rally in Milonga, Hwange District this Saturday, the returnees lauded the ruling party’s transformative national development drive.
“We suffered in opposition politics and hence our decision to re-join the ruling party. There was no respect even for the party constitution,” said Munkombwe Dube, former National Deputy for the National Organising Secretary MDC-T standing committee.
“ZANU PF has done a lot for this country and its clear that it has people at heart, so we want to be part of it,” former MDC councillor Jeffrey Nkondo Nyoni said.
“We have seen a lot of development brought by the ZANU PF-led government in recent years and this enticed us,” former CCC Victoria Falls Mayor, Somvelo Dhlamini noted.
“We envy what ZANU PF is doing and it deserve to be supported. In the opposition there was a lot imposition of candidates; there was no democracy at all,” Former MDC legislator for Binga North, Patrick Nene Sibanda added.
The ruling ZANU PF party is on a drive to lure more former opposition members to its ranks.
“We want all opposition members to join ZANU PF and we will not rest until this is achieved.
“It is now clear to all of us here that opposition politics is now dysfunctional in the country, so it is a matter of just reminding them of their mother party.
“We had been opposing the First Republic because there was no development, but with the New Dispensation, there is now development, hence no need for opposition. That is why we have joined ZANU PF and that is why others are joining the party today,” said Cde Blessing Chebundo the director of Kumusha/Home/Ekhaya.
“The returnees are key for ZANU PF especially here in Matabeleland North Province. We want more of them. There are a lot of life changing projects such as mining that have transformed this area. This is what people are seeing and are now re-joining ZANU PF,” Cde Silas Maligo, the deputy chairperson of ZANU PF in Matabeleland North weighed in.
ZANU PF National Political Commissar, Cde Munyaradzi Machacha says life-changing developments being spearheaded by the ruling party have caught the attention of all progressive citizens.
“The New Dispensation has done a lot on the ground and this is what we are explaining to former opposition members and their eyes are being opened.
“As a result people are seeing the good work which they are choosing now to be part of. We are also explaining to people that opposition parties were meant to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle and they are not there for development but to even destabilize the country.
“We are happy that people are coming back to the party. We will love the returnees and incorporate them in various party structures,” he said.
Since the launch of the Kumusha/Home/ Ekhaya programme three years ago, over 200 000 former opposition members have re-joined the ruling party.
