The Second Republic respects the important role played by traditional leaders in spearheading socio-economic development in communities with traditional chiefs billed to play a key role in the speedy achievement of Vision 2030 goals, Zanu PF Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi has said.
He said this on Monday at Nemanwa Growth Point in Masvingo where he met traditional leaders including chiefs and Zanu PF leaders drawn from Masvingo district.
Cde Mohadi will be in Masvingo for the whole week where he will meet traditional leaders and party leaders from all seven districts in the province.
In his address, Cde Mohadi called for unity within Zanu PF while underscoring the need for party structures to work with traditional leaders.
"We want our leaders in the party to work in unison with our traditional leaders because traditional leaders play a very important role in spearheading development in rural communities where the majority of the people live," he said.
"As the Second Republic, we value the important role that our traditional leaders play in forging peace and unity amongst our people.
"The party must work closely with traditional leaders because they lead many people in their areas of jurisdiction. Traditional leaders are very important vehicles for ensuring peace and unity amongst our people and Zanu PF leaders at various levels should work closely with them."
Cde Mohadi noted that Zanu PF leaders in lower tier levels of the party were also supposed to ensure party structures were solid and sound ahead of next year's harmonised elections.
The traditional leaders praised the Government for introducing the devolution programme, which they said had seen many projects being implemented to uplift the peoples' lives. They cited clinics, new roads and bridges, schools and dams as some of the projects being financed through devolution funds.
Present at the meeting were Zanu PF politburo members Cde Lovemore Matuke (Secretary for Security) and Retired Lieutenant-General Engelbert Rugeje, Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chair Cde Robson Mavhenyengwa, and Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira.
