adminTawanda Mangoma in Chiredzi
Chiredzi Town Centre was virtually deserted yesterday as vendors abandoned their daily business activities to join the rest of the nation in voting at various polling stations across the sugarcane growing town. The situation was the same for transport operators who provisionally suspended their services to enable their crews to vote.
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) director Mr Samuel Wadzai said their members across the country heeded calls to participate in this year’s elections, hence the decision to abandon their vending stalls.
“Our members have decided to abandon their vending stalls today because they know the importance of participating in electoral processes,” he said.
“This is one of the most important elections in the history of our beautiful country and as vendors we can’t be seen to be neglecting this vital national call.
“We will be back on the streets tomorrow (today) after voting. We urged our VISET members to vote early when voting opened and we had been running a campaign to encourage our members to vote.”
Makuku Bus Service director Mr Kudakwashe Makuku said he had to withdraw some of his buses in Chiredzi to allow his employees to vote.
He said it was important to allow his workers to exercise their constitutional right to vote in this year’s election, which is historic for its unparalleled peacefulness.
“We service the Chiredzi-Mashoko route daily, but today (yesterday) we had to abandon our daily trips as all our bus crew had travelled to their rural homes to vote,” said Mr Makuku.
“This is an important election to all of us, this is an election which everyone must be accorded a chance to exercise his democratic right, hence the need to stop business and go out to vote.”
Traditionally, vendors and most bus operators used to ignore political rallies and this resulted in voter apathy.
Online Reporter