via Dumped Zanu PF hordes foot it from airport – NewZimbabwe 01/12/2015
AFTER the pomp and fanfare, waving flags welcoming the Chinese leader XI Jinping at the Harare International Airport Tuesday morning, hundreds of Zanu PF supporters were left to walk the 12 kilometre road back home.
The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo road stretches from the airport right up to Arcadia, a residential area on the outskirts of central Harare.
The road was colourful as hungry and bitter ruling party supporters walked slowly, chatting to each other with some still holding on to the Chinese flag.
Clad in party regalia and apostolic sect tunics, Zanu PF supporters were seen walking back to central Harare and Mbare areas.
They said they were disappointed as they had waited for hours for buses to take them back to their different respective places but to no avail.
Only a handful of Chinese nationals could be seen driving back in Chinese–decorated vehicles.
The ruling party supporters were bussed to the airport by the Zimbabwe Passenger Bus Company (ZUPCO), CMED and hired commuter omnibuses who made several trips back and forth dropping them along the road.
Hungry and exhausted
One party supporter, calling himself Cde Land Reform, said he and his colleagues had come from as far as Domboshava in hired commuter omnibuses after being picked up from the Zanu PF district offices.
“We are here to welcome Cde XI but we have no transport to go back home; I will have to walk back to town and then board a kombi back to Domboshava.
“We did not even get the food that we were promised here, yet we left around 5 am; at least I brought $10 with me.”
Another one from Epworth said they had enquired before they left their places how they would get back home and they were promised that they were going to be driven back.
“Last time when we had a rally to welcome back Amai (Grace Mugabe) we had to walk back again.
“But they said this time things would be different but look now; it’s just that we don’t have a choice as we fear to be victimised.”
A vendor from Mbare Musika said every now and then they are ferried to the airport and only to either walk or use their own money for bus fare.
“I am here because I want to protect my vending space otherwise taneta nazvo izvi (we are tired of this kind of treatment).”
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