The Sunday Mail
Bulawayo Bureau
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa arrived in Bulawayo yesterday en route to St Joseph’s Mission in Kezi, Matabeleland South province, where he is expected to acknowledge the Catholic parish for the role it played in the country’s liberation.
On his arrival at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, the President said he accepted the invitation to the centenary celebrations because he wanted to thank the church “for supporting our revolution”.
He was accompanied by Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and other senior Government officials. He was welcomed in Bulawayo by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube, Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister Raj Modi, ZANU PF Bulawayo chairperson Cde Jabulani Sibanda and service chiefs, among other senior Government officials, as well as church leaders. Addressing multitudes of ZANU PF supporters, who gathered at the airport to welcome him, President Mnangagwa said St Joseph’s Mission had been a vital cog during the liberation war effort.
“Tomorrow (today), I am going to St Joseph’s in Kezi. I am a Methodist and General Chiwenga is Catholic. The Catholic Church at St Joseph’s supported us a lot during the war; they stood by us as we were fighting the colonial power led by Ian Smith. So, I am going there to pay my respects as part of Zimbabwe, a free Zimbabwe. We want to thank the Catholic Church for supporting our revolution,” he said.
The community in Kezi is excited and highly expectant ahead the President’s visit.
