By Byron Mutingwende
Norton came to a standstill as musicians of the moment Jah Prayzah, Jah Signal and Mbeu entertained tens of thousands of people who invaded Koshen Grounds to celebrate the victory of Temba Mliswa as the Member of the National Assembly for the area.
“The results of the National Assembly election for Norton were a resounding victory to the people who spoke loudly and clearly that they have confidence in my leadership. My victory is the voice of the people. Nortonians have spoken and I now have the fresh mandate to represent them in the coming five years,” Mliswa said as his ecstatic supporters who danced to the energetic Mbeu and charismatic Jah Prayzah’s enigmatic songs often drowned his voice.
For Temba Mliswa, unity is his favourite hymn as he insisted it was time to bury the hatchet among the candidates who competed for the mandate to represent the people of Norton and all their supporters regardless of race, colour or creed.
“As the leader of the people of Norton, I embrace everyone and preach peace for all for the good of the constituency. All my development projects are community-based and I shall continue working hard so that the people will have the best infrastructure, the best healthcare and the best education and various other social amenities,” Mliswa said.
An astute businessman in his own right, and above all a competent farmer, Mliswa promised to make Norton an agricultural hub and a centre for value addition to the minerals and agricultural products abundant in the area. He said as a step towards that initiative, he worked closely with small-scale farmers to put in place formal structures and regularise their operations in accordance with the laws of the country.
It was apparent that the legislator’s choice of musicians Jah Prayzah, Jah Signal and Mbeu to celebrate his electoral victory was accurate and relevant since the youngsters relate well with what’s going on in the Norton community. Hiring the trio is very expensive and to bring them together at one place must have cost Mliswa a huge fortune but he said his indebtedness to the people for electing him prepared him to part with a large sum of money as a way of thanking them and celebrating in unity.
Josephine Mukute, the Chief Operations Director to Hon Mliswa thanked the people of Norton for their tolerance, maturity and sense of unity since high profile figures from ZANU (PF) and the MDC alliance graced the occasion and congratulated Hon Temba Mliswa for winning the elections.
“Norton should become a model constituency for the whole country since as you can see, we are happy together in our diversity. We should maintain this unity so as to foster development as we chart a bright future for our children and a safe place for all under the able leadership of Honourable Mliswa. The next five years are going to the best in as far as development is concerned,” Mukute said.
Howard Madya, Hon Mliswa’s campaign manager was upbeat that his boss was a man of his words who as promised before the elections, managed to bring to the backyard of Norton the celebrated superstar and youthful musician, Jah Prayzah with support from the talented Jah Signal and Mbeu.
“I thank the electorate for choosing an honest and hardworking man through Hon Mliswa. Above all, special mention goes to all the administrators and the entire campaign team who spent sleepless nights campaigning for Honourable Mliswa. It goes without saying that as a political commissar for Hon Mliswa, we will continue working together in unity and harmony as we work towards elevating the man to a higher position within the political discourse of this country,” Madya said, with a subtle indication that Hon Mliswa might be destined for the highest office in the land of Zimbabwe.
The African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance in Chapter 5, Article 12 encourages State Parties to undertake to implement programmes and carry out activities designed to promote democratic principles and practices as well as consolidate a culture of democracy and peace.
Through the music gala that attracted popular musicians, people from different political persuasions gathered in unity to celebrate Mliswa’s victory in Norton, a development that promotes unity and tolerance.