By Jeffrey Muvundusi
HWANGE – Hundreds of Zanu PF supporters here were left dejected after President Emmerson Mnangagwa failed to show up at a rally where he had been expected to address at the Hwange Colliery Stadium.
With the visibly excited crowd having started trickling into the stadium as early as 7am, it came as a surprise to many as news started filtering through that the president was no longer coming.
For about eight hours, the crowd waited as they were being treated to entertainment by Alick Macheso and Sandra Ndebele. To make matters worse, there was no official announcement to the effect that the man they so eagerly anticipated to see was no longer coming to address them.
Instead, the gathering was only told that they should wait as there was a lot of meat for them to eat.
On the ground, security measures pointed to the fact that Mnangagwa was due to address the event as everyone was subjected to thorough searching at all the entrances.
In a clear move that security had been tightened following the shocking explosion at White City Stadium in Bulawayo that missed Mangagwa by a whisker, scanners were being used while sniffer dogs could also be seen patrolling the venue.
Officials from the Radiation Authority of Zimbabwe were also part of the security team. Armed soldiers could be seen strategically positioned in and around the stadium.
The media team which included, private, State and foreign media — who had descended on the small mining town in anticipation of the rally — were subjected to a thorough search before their details were taken down by members of the CIO.
As if that was not enough, many journalists were not allowed to cover the ground-breaking ceremony of the Hwange Thermal Power Station as the security personnel insisted that only those journalists whose names had been submitted were allowed in.
Mnangagwa officiated at the event. After his address at around 3pm, the choppers were seen flying past the venue as he bade farewell to the coal mining town.
Zanu PF supporters, some of whom had been bussed from as far as Binga and Lupane, told the Daily News how heart-broken they were after the president failed to show up.
“This is very unfair. I came all the way to see ED. I wanted to see him live since they wanted to kill him. I was so eager to see him that’s why I am here,” said Robson Mdlalose.
“I still can’t believe what I am hearing this cannot be true. We came all the way after we were told that our president will be addressing us today. I was so excited but now I am so disappointed,” said Esther Msumanga. Daily News
