President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday morning handed over 100 vehicles to “deserving” chiefs, with more vehicles, including those for newly appointed chiefs, reported to be on the way.
The handover ceremony was held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), this Thursday, 29 February.
Posting on X, George Charamba, who is the Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications), said deserving chiefs received vehicles today.
He however did not elaborate on the criteria used to determine the traditional leaders who deserved to receive new cars. Said Charamba:
In his address, His Excellency exhorted chiefs to unite their subjects and preach peace, reminding them Zimbabwe is a unitary state, with no room for divisions that inspire threats to the integrity of the country.
He addressed the issue of hunger in the country, adding Government is putting in place mechanisms for immediate intervention to distribute food the needy families across the country.
The Chiefs, through the President of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Mtshana Khumalo, appreciated the support extended to all chiefs, including stipends, infrastructures, health insurance and many other social interventions which have raised the welfare threshold of chiefs.
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The ZANU PF-led government prioritises traditional leaders in distributing national resources as they mobilise rural people to vote for the ruling party during elections.
This is another case of misplaced priorities on the part of the government as some police stations don’t have vehicles and at times police officers are reportedly offered transport by suspects, while some hospitals also don’t have a single working ambulance.
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