BULAWAYO – Former opposition legislator Gift Banda has crossed the floor to Zanu PF from the Citizens Coalition for Change, the ruling party announced at a rally in Gwanda on Saturday.
Banda, who also served as Bulawayo’s deputy mayor, was unveiled as a new Zanu PF member at one of a series of rallies held countrywide to thank Zimbabweans for the passage of the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment) Act, which extends President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule and scraps direct presidential elections in favour of a parliamentary vote.
The state-run Sunday News reported that Banda “declared his full support for Zanu PF and the amendment, saying it would help drive the country’s political and economic development.”
Banda shook hands with senior Zanu PF officials from Matabeleland South province, among them Richard Ndlovu, Abedinico Ncube, provincial chairman Mangaliso Ndlovu and Albert Nguluvhe.
“He said his decision to join Zanu PF was motivated by a desire to contribute to the national vision of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” the Sunday News reported.
Banda represented Njube-Lobengula as MP for the MDC Alliance, which later morphed into CCC.
