By A Correspondent- A leader of the Johanne Masowe Echishanu, Andby Makururu has pledged allegiance to the ruling Zanu-PF party, saying President Emmerson Mnangagwa was economically empowering members of his sect.

“I realised that if a person is poverty stricken,  he or she will start to think to vote for the opposition party, but President Mnangagwa  has always urged us to work hard,” Makururu told members of his sect at a prayer session.

He said members of his sect, one of the largest apostolic groupings in the country, would support Mnangagwa in the elections expected in 2023.

“All my church members are going to vote for Mnangagwa in 2023, and how I am going to do that, you can ask me. Poverty is the number one enemy, and so I am supporting my church members with poultry, bakery and other projects so that they can self-sustain,” he said.

“Mnangagwa has the country at heart and we are fully behind him. As church leaders, we are there to provide spiritual guidance to the President.”

Recently, Makururu launched a women’s empowerment programme under which women from the sect would get loans from the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank to start businesses