Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday descended on President Robert Mugabe’s home province of Mashonaland West to engage his supporters and address several rallies until Sunday.
Tsvangirai addressed his first rally at Maumbe Business Centre in Hurungwe Central.
The party’s provincial spokesperson, Blessing Mandaba, said the former prime minister spoke about the worsening economic and food crisis in the country and promised that his MDC will address these problems if elected into power in 2018.
Mandaba added that Tsvangirai also called for electoral reforms ahead of the elections.
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Interview With Blessing Mandaba
Zimbabwe’s major opposition parties have been boycotting all by-elections demanding that the government should implement key reforms and insisted they would not participate in future general polls unless measures are taken to make the contest credible and fair.
In a statement to the media ahead of the meetings, Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said, “The president’s (Tsvangirai) continued engagement with Zimbabweans comes at a time when the political and economic situation in the country is deteriorating at an alarming rate.
“Zimbabweans can barely survive, with the party in government more worried about succession battles at the expense of finding a solution to the worsening crisis.
“In Mashonaland West, the president will talk about the crisis as well as the MDC’s proposed solutions to the national predicament, including the Zanu PF failure to come up with a sustainable solution to power shortages characterized by 20-hour blackouts every day. Kariba dam, the major source of power of the country, is in Mashonaland West province.”
He said Tsvangirai will engage Zimbabweans across the nation and listen to their concerns.
Last month, the MDC leader engaged Zimbabweans in Mashonaland Central province, a Zanu-PF stronghold that First Lady Grace Mugabe has declared a no-go area for the opposition.
On Friday, Tsvangirai is expected to address a rally at Alaska in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West.
On Saturday, he will be at Dombwe in Chegutu East before winding his visit to the province on Sunday at Cassa Grounds in Zvimba East.