Former Zimbabwe Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu(48) will contest in the 2023 general election for the country’s presidency, an official from his party, All People’s Party (APP), has confirmed.

Zimbabweans will vote in 2023 to determine the country’s leader a position currently held by veteran ZANU PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The party’s vice president Sebastian Mubvumbi, confirmed that Ndlovu will indeed contest in the upcoming poll and also explained why the current Mamelodi Sundowns team manager has not personally confirmed it.

“Get it from me, indeed it’s official Peter Ndlovu will contest in the next general election. This is purely out of conviction and principle. He is the president of the party there is no two ways about it,” Mubvumbi told Soccer24.

Mubvumbi said if it was not true that Ndlovu will contest in the upcoming poll, by now he would released a statement distancing himself from the reports.

“Let me reiterate that we have to appreciate the unique times we are in due to the Covid-19 pandemic as this has hampered any plans we may have had to hit the ground running as envisaged. A response from Peter Ndlovu will come at a time deemed appropriate as he is currently inundated with other commitments,” he explained.

“Rest assured that he is abreast with all that is taking place within the party structures. I brief him every week. In media circles we say you can’t not communicate, the silence is communication. If he wasn’t part of this he would have a long time ago issued a statement distancing himself from APP,” added Mubvumbi.

But personally, what really motivated Ndlovu, affectionately known ‘The Flying Elephant’, to trade his soccer boots for politics?

“It would be naive for me to say it was a personal motivation but that it was a call from various sectors of the Zimbabwean community who felt that Peter Ndlovu was the right person for the task at hand. There is a time for everything, we felt this was the right time for him to get in the political ring.The people want a leader that they can hand hold not what we have witnessed over the years where a leader is dictatorial. In other words Ndlovu is a symbol of a people’s leadership.” explained Mubvumbi.

zwnews, soccer 24