MDC-T National Organising Secretary Amos Chibaya (back to camera) addresses the crowd.
…vows to reconstruct Chilonga Bridge
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – The usually quiet town was last week awakened by the MDC Alliance rally which pulled a record crowd, filling Tshovani Stadium to the brim with an overflow as people stampeded for a date with the opposition coalition’s leader, Nelson Chamisa.
The rally was a massive conclusion to Chamisa’s four-day tour of Masvingo which had also taken him to Chivi and Mwenezi.
“You have made us proud Chiredzi. You came in your numbers. For the crowds that I have addressed in Zimbabwe, we had White City Stadium which was filled to capacity. We also had Dulivadzimu Stadium in Beitbridge where people came in their numbers but today I have seen that Chiredzi has refused to remain behind. Thank you very much,” said Chamisa.
Chamisa said Chiredzi had always held a special place in the heart of the late Morgan Tsvangirai, saying he will strive to transform the lives of the people in the Lowveld.
“If you remember some years back when our late president Tsvangirai was flying back home from South Africa, he was told he could not land at the now Robert Mugabe International airport. We then opted for him to land here in Chiredzi at Buffalo Range,” said Chamisa.
Chamisa promised that before embarking on the ‘spaghetti’ roads programme, he would put resources together for the reconstruction of the Chilonga Bridge which has been for long forgotten by the government.
The damaged Chilonga Bridge links Chiredzi South and Chiredzi West and poses a perennial challenge to villagers from Chiredzi South during the rainy season.
The dilapidated, low-lying bridge has virtually cut off areas like Chikombedzi from the Chiredzi town, the district’s main commercial centre.
MDC Alliance principal, Tendai Biti assured Chiredzi that the Chamisa administration will improve the livelihoods of the people in the Lowveld.
“Chiredzi has high potential and it should be harnessed. There are people here who live in dilapidated houses but that will soon be a thing of the past. We need everyone to live in decent houses and all houses should be solar-powered because we have so much (unharvested) solar energy here in Chiredzi.
“Chiredzi produces sugarcane and we are going to make sure that it will be processed and packaged here so that we create more avenues of employment for our people,” said Biti.top news