NORTON’S independent parliamentary candidate, Temba Mliswa, has told the ruling Zanu PF to stop doling out food handouts in the constituency in exchange for votes ahead of a by-election slated for next month.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Addressing hundreds of his supporters in the constituency on Saturday, Mliswa said Zanu PF officials had lately scaled up distribution of drought relief food in the area, a development he described as a clear case of vote buying.
“One thing I want to tell you is that you should not be hoodwinked by food aid. That is government’s responsibility and you should not be asked to vote for Zanu PF in exchange for maize or service delivery. We don’t want corruption in this constituency and we will be working very hard to deal with that,” he said.
“I have come to work. It’s like when a person goes to Diaspora, their purpose is to work and not for anything else. Together with you, we will be working to weed out corruption and foster development for this area, which has been ravaged by land barons who are fleecing you of your hard-earned cash.”
At the same rally, some war veterans, who have turned their backs on Zanu PF, took turns to endorse Mliswa’s candidature, saying the current circus in the ruling party was disfunctional.
Mashonaland West provincial war veterans chairperson, Cornelius Muwoni, said protest votes were becoming the order of the day in most by-elections, as Zanu PF members were angry over alleged disorder in the ruling party.
“There are leaders in Zanu PF who do not wish to represent the general populace, but just want to line their pockets. The issue of independent candidates is better, because they do not have bosses above them, and as such they will fairly represent the people who voted them,” he said.
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“This is a protest vote and people are saying no because they have been political used. If things are not properly organised in all the political parties and there are no true representatives of the people, we will see the emergence of more independent candidates and people will vote for them.”
Muwoni said, for a long time, war veterans have been neglected and corrective measures needed to be taken to have them fully recognised. Earlier on, police had banned Mliswa’s rally before High Court judge, Justice Priscilla Chigumba reversed the decision in a chamber ruling on Saturday morning.
