Despite intimidation thousands of MDC supporters thronged the Masvingo lowveld business centre at Mashate, in the Shumba chieftainship area for the 11th Anniversary celebrations led by the top leadership of the MDC.

Masvingo Central MP, Jefferyson Chitando, launched the constituency development fund. at the rally and announced that it would see the refurbishment of over ten schools, rehabilitation of boreholes and roads and creation of nutritional gardens..

MDC National Chairman, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, who headed the delegation from Harare, told the crowd that the MDC would not abandon the Constitution-making process despite the process being flawed due to violence and intimidation by Zanu PF supporters.

He said on Sunday: “The MDC denounces the false propaganda in the State media that we are advocating for a NO vote in the referendum next year,” he said.

"The Constitution-making process is an MDC agenda, it is a people’s agenda that we are not abandoning despite problems that were encountered during the gathering of the people’s views”.

Moyo paid tribute to MPs from Masvingo who were fighting for the completion of Tokwe – Mukosi dam in the province , which when completed will be the largest inland dam in the country and will boost agriculture and tourism sectors.

The project has been stalled since the government "ran out of money" back in the 1980s.

Women’s Assembly chairperson and Co-Home Affairs minister,  Theresa Makone urged the chiefs and police officers not to work for political parties as they would compromise their duties and standing in the communities they serve.

And Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Paurina Mpariwa , said her ministry was working on funding for  the elderly in the 2011 national budget.

 The rally was also attended by other  senior MDC officials including the national spokesperson,  Nelson Chamisa, Nketa MP, Hon. Seiso Moyo, and other MPs and councillors.

Meanwhile, the MDC Secretary-General,  Tendai Biti has said since the formation of the MDC, 11 years ago, the party had managed to move mountains by fighting the dictatorship of Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe.

He told over 5 000 MDC supporters at another MDC 11th anniversary celebrations at Manjiri Primary School in Musikavanhu, Manicaland province on Saturday: “Fighting a dictatorship like Mugabe and Zanu PF is never easy. 

"Africa has been unfortunate to have dictators across the continent but there has been no evil dictator like Mugabe in Zimbabwe," he said.

The celebratory rally was attended by the entire Manicaland provincial executive led by the chairman, Senator Patrick Chitaka of Chimanimani, MPs and councillors.