By Sydney Kawadza
Newly appointed Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Senator Josaya Hungwe has called for a united and peaceful province, extending an olive branch to former Zanu-PF stalwarts Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire and ex-Women’s League chairperson Mrs Shylet Uyoyo to rejoin the party.
In a wide-ranging interview here yesterday, Minister Hungwe, who leads the province for the second time after serving in a similar role between 1990 and 2008, highlighted the need for unity in the province for it to realise its full potential.
He said all Zanu-PF cadres, including those that were dismissed over the years, should come back to the revolutionary party so that everyone works on developing the province. Minister Hungwe said Masvingo had requested for more parliamentary constituencies from 26, but the request had not yet been granted.
“We have accepted Cde (Kudakwashe) Bhasikiti and Cde (Claudius) Makova back into Zanu-PF, but I have told them to go to Mavhaire and bring him back to the party,” he said.
“They should also talk to Uyoyo so that we work together in the new dispensation. We want all the people from Masvingo to contribute to the development of our province as we have been ushered into a new era with our new President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who is well known in Zimbabwe and the whole world.”
Minister Hungwe, who is Senator for Chivi-Mwenezi, expressed confidence that President Mnangagwa will take Zimbabwe on a new trajectory that would see the country prosper.
“We are very happy with the new political dispensation and we want to thank God for his guidance and protection as a country,” he said.
In his development endeavours, Minister Hungwe outlined the need to speed up development at the Tokwe Mukosi Dam and the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge dualisation project.
“These are gigantic projects which I am calling everyone to put their efforts on so that they reach fruition. These are our projects, of which we are the major stakeholders and they should benefit our people in Masvingo Province,” he said.
Minister Hungwe said the provincial leadership accepts partners from across Zimbabwe and beyond that work on projects designed to benefit people from the province.
“In 1992, we got plans to construct seven dams in each of our provinces, but we decided to have two dams in Bikita, while reserving Tokwe-Mukosi Dam for Chivi. It is now up to the people of Chivi and Masvingo districts to draw benefits with special considerations for them,” he said.
Minister Hungwe implored President Mnangagwa to maintain Command Agriculture.
“The success of the programme has seen Masvingo and the whole country realise yields which were beyond everyone’s expectations, so we hope it would continue while other concepts like livestock, among others, are included in it,” he said.
Minister Hungwe pledged to unite the province ahead of next year’s harmonised elections.
“We are going to the Extraordinary Congress and we want to continue pushing for the registration of more party members ahead of the elections,” he said.
Minister Hungwe expressed gratitude to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces commanders for leading Zimbabwe in a peaceful transition, that paved way for the formation of a new Government.
“Special thanks go to General Chiwenga and his leadership structure for the peaceful manner they intervened to bring back normalcy in the party and country in general,” he said.
Minister Hungwe was appointed the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs by President Mnangagwa following the resignation of former President Cde Robert Mugabe last month. The Herald
