Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwam, Features Reporter
“Election season for me is always a little bit more personal because of my upbringing as part of a political family, whose involvement in politics now spans two decades,” said Cde Mabutho Moyo.
He is a Bulawayo boy who was recently voted into the Zanu-PF Central Committee along with District Coordinating Committee 2 Cdes Godwin Mugumba, and Elphas Tshuma coming full circle after some 20-odd years of political activism that included tours in the Youth League during which time he gained invaluable experience in politics.
But his grounding in politics comes from the influence of his father, a war veteran and his mother, herself a former Central Committee member.
“My dad was a war veteran while my mother has been involved in politics for a very long time, having worked very closely with the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo, even going on to become a member of the Central Committee. I basically grew up in politics and among a variety of politicians.
“I’ve been helping out with campaigns ever since I can remember, riding in the back of the car with flyers, but mostly walking door to door. It became second nature to me, a familiar backdrop to my childhood. It was a family affair; being out on the campaign trail, going to inaugurations — all of it.
“My whole life I have been around politics in one form or another, and it has helped me grow to have my own opinions about the issues going on around me. I’ve had an inside look at the way Government works that most people will never get to see,” Cde Moyo told Sunday News in an exclusive interview.
“I’ve seen my parents work for the party for years, spending late nights while still being there for their family. I’ve seen them put in more hours than they may be credited for. I’ve seen them stop eating to have a 20-minute conversation with a fellow politician. I’ve seen all the amazing things they have done for their community and the pride they take in all of it. So understandably, one thing that really gets to me, which can be clearly seen in light of this election, is when people say all politicians are crooked,” said Cde Moyo.
He has risen through the ranks of the party, beginning his long walk along the corridors of politics as a brash 17-year-old to become an accomplished politician with 20 years of active service to his beloved Zanu-PF.
He began his political career as an ordinary youth member in the Luveve branch after being convinced by his grandmother, the late MaMkhwananzi from Pumula peri urban Methodist Village. Efforts by his parents to take politics seriously had hit a brick wall until a visit to his grandmother set him straight.
“My mother had been trying to get me involved in politics for quite a while. Although I was already a card carrying member since 2002 after finishing my ‘O’ Levels, I wasn’t too keen at the time as I chose to concentrate on my academic studies. But the visit to my grandmother in Pumula and she showed a side to this politics thing that I had never considered.
“Gogo made me realise that there was so much more to politics than I thought and from that moment, I have never looked back. Over the years, I have worked for the party, and I am very grateful that DCC-2 members saw it fit to elect me into the Central Committee,” said the former Deputy Secretary for Administration.
Cde Moyo genuinely feels that he will be able to add value not just to the revolutionary party but also to the country at large. He feels that being a young leader working with experienced leaders like Bulawayo Province Chairman, Cde Jabulani Sibanda is a sure sign of the party regenerating and its members seeing value in its young leaders.
“It’s a privilege to be sitting in meetings with accomplished politicians like the President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, and his two deputies or the likes of struggle heroes, Cde Tshinga Dube. These old dogs of war will guide younger members of the CC like me. The party can only grow from this.
“It’s also evident that party members realised that even if we’re young, we have gained enough experience over the years and could have something to add to such an important party organ as the Central Committee. I am very grateful for the confidence that party members have shown in me which is evident in their election of me,” he added.
Cde Moyo urged the younger voters in Zimbabwe in general, and Bulawayo in particular to seriously consider Zanu-PF as their party of choice ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections. He said that the party was regenerating and creating more space for the younger leaders who represent the majority of the Zimbabwean demographic.
“Zanu-PF is a party that understands people. It’s a party that cares about people. I urge young Zimbabweans to be a part of this party. We’re more than just a political party. We’re primarily an organisation focused on the social upliftment of our country’s citizens. And it’s for that very reason that I think the younger members of our society will fit right in with us,” he said.
The Zanu-PF politician also told this publication that his primary focus in the Central Committee is to help the party craft policy that will eventually help the country’s citizens economically and politically. He said the revolutionary party has the right DNA to fight infractions that have impoverished its citizens such as the illegal sanctions placed on the country by the United Kingdom and the West led by the United States of America.
“No political organ in the country has the DNA make-up to get its citizens through the economic challenges it is facing. Zanu-PF has the ability to help rid the country of economic challenges it’s currently facing.
“We have the right leaders, the right policies and more than anything, the will to see to it that Zimbabweans live comfortable lives,” he said.
The 37-year-old career politician also believes that under the stewardship of Cde Sibanda, the party in the province is in the best condition it has ever been. – @RealSimbaJemwa
Online Reporter