AFTER running down the State-owned public transport company, Zupco, Zanu PF has now turned to use of school buses to transport its supporters to various destinations free of charge.
BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER
School development associations (SDAs) at most of the affected schools confirmed the development yesterday, saying the trend started during First Lady Grace Mugabe’s “Meet the People” tours two weeks ago.
Parents are, however, livid and are calling on their SDAs to resist being forced into transporting Zanu PF supporters for free.
This is after a bus belonging to Emthonjeni Primary School in the Midlands spent three days on the roadside after it broke down along the Gweru–Kwekwe Highway after transporting party members to the Gweru rally.
“As parents, our levies will be used to repair the bus and it is our property which was left lying by the roadside after we were forced to give them the bus,” a parent who refused to be named said.
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An SDA member at Redcliff Primary School said their school activities had been affected as Zanu PF supporters demanded use of the buses at short notice.
The primary school’s SDA chairman Lloyd Msipa confirmed that Zanu PF had “requested” to use the school bus for free, but denied that they were commandeered to release it.
“The school was asked to assist and as a government school which respects its leaders, we allowed the school bus to be used because there was no programme at the school which required that we use the bus. They provided their own fuel and all we did was give them the bus and a driver,” Msipa said.
Last Saturday, as Zanu PF held an inter-district party rally, it relied heavily on school buses to transport over 1 000 supporters from Kwekwe and its environs to Kwekwe Queens Sports Club where they were addressed by Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.