BUBI — Prominent Bubi farmer Geneva Sibanda has thrown his hat into the ring for next year’s parliamentary elections. He wants to contest as an independent candidate. REPORT BY SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Sibanda announced his candidature last Wednesday and vowed to give the incumbent MP Clifford Sibanda of Zanu PF a tough challenge.
“I will be contesting for the first time next year and I want to rescue people from Zanu PF tricks of luring votes through donation of bags of maize,” said the aspiring MP. “They are taking advantage of the drought situation to use food as a bait to attract votes. I want to stop that by defeating them in the coming elections.”
He said he chose to be an independent candidate after he realised that there was a lot of confusion in the MDC formations. He rapped Zanu PF for its culture of rotating dead wood.
“In Zanu PF we only hear phambili, phansi, phambili, phansi only. There is no development. Now there has been an escalation of food distribution by Zanu PF. MPs should talk about life policies, not food. People must take the food, but know where to cast their votes.” Sibanda said he had set up a task force and campaign agents who are currently on the ground mobilising votes, adding he started campaigning early this year.
Contacted for comment, Bubi MP Sibanda, said: “When people are hungry, do they eat development? Is it not that they want food? What is wrong when we give them the food that they asked for? He really does not know what he is talking about.
“So far, schools in resettlement areas are more than those in other areas. I have assisted in the development of 15 schools in those areas. What development is he talking about?”
