adminHarare Bureau
HIRED youths in Mashonaland East yesterday almost disrupted First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe’s rally in Marondera by heckling other Zanu-PF members who were chanting slogans against factionalism.
Youths leaders who have been part of the First Lady’s entourage on her countrywide tour have come up with a slogan, “Pasi Negamatox” in reference to those fanning divisions in the revolutionary party.
But the rowdy youths threatened to disrupt proceedings as they objected to the chanting of the slogan.
Despite their protestations, a number of Zanu-PF officials from the party’s structures continued to chant the slogan and it had to take Politburo member Cde Shuvai Mahofa to advise the crowd what the slogan was all about.
“When we say “Pasi Negamatox” we will be referring to people who are causing divisions and instability in the party,” Cde Mahofa said.
National Youth League political commissar Cde John Mushai, who hails from Mashonaland East, said the problem emanated from a disagreement over sitting arrangements.
“We had organised the sitting arrangement in such a way that Politburo members and members of the First Family would sit in their own tent, while Central Committee members sit in their own,” he said.
“The arrangement was done according to seniority, but we then found out that there were some people who were sitting where they were not supposed to.”
On slogans, Cde Mushai said the party had well known slogans and “Pasi Negamatox” was not one of them.
This is the second time that youths linked to a faction in the party have threatened to disrupt Amai Mugabe’s rallies.
In Manicaland province last week, youths who claimed they were linked to Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Cde Didymus Mutasa attacked youths from Harare who were accompanying the First Lady.
The situation nearly degenerated into chaos was it not for the intervention of the police.
It later emerged that the youths had been given free beer and dagga by a senior member of the party for them to heckle the First Lady while she was speaking.
derick.khumalo