adminDumisani Sibanda Sunday News Correspondent
THE one-million-man march to be staged in Harare on Wednesday in solidarity with President Mugabe has nothing to do with imagined factional fighting in Zanu-PF but will actually show that the ruling party is still united, an official has said. In a telephone interview yesterday, Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for the Youth League, Cde Kudzanai Chipanga said stories that the march was a show of power by a faction in Zanu-PF were mere propaganda being spewed by the private media.
“That is what the private media has been saying but they seem not to understand that the Youth League in Zanu-PF has a constitutional mandate to support the party and President Mugabe through mobilisation of the membership,” he said.
“This march is done specifically in solidarity with President Mugabe and being organised by the Zanu-PF Youth League just like what happened during the 21st February Movement celebrations held in Masvingo in honour of President Mugabe. In the same manner although being organised by us party youths the march will involve other groups, everyone who feels they have Zanu-PF blood in them and all people in support of President Mugabe who has become an African icon. That is why we are having it on Africa Day.”
Cde Chipanga said the march was the first step by the Youth League to have a “direct link” with President Mugabe instead of relying on “go-betweens” as there was a risk that their views might be misrepresented. He said the ruling party’s Youth League has finished its mass mobilisation campaign in preparation for the march, and each of the 10 provinces is expected to provide at least 100 000 delegates for the march.
“The mass mobilisation campaign involved youth rallies starting from Mashonaland East which had 4 000 people and we ended in Midlands. We had about 12 000 people at the Harare rally and we were received well by the youths and the party provincial leadership throughout the country.”
He said two national preparatory meetings for the march have already been held and the last one will be held tomorrow in Harare with various stakeholders including ruling party structures, war veterans, war collaborators, liberation war detainees and restrictees as well as some church leaders, among others.
“The provinces have been tasked with organising transport for their delegates and we expect the buses to be at the various assembly points which we have designated in Harare by 9am on Wednesday before the delegates march to the main assembly point which is Robert Mugabe Square.”
He said the assembly points are Rufaro Stadium in Mbare where delegates from Masvingo will gather, National Sports Stadium will be the starting point for those from Midlands, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo and Matabeleland North, while Kensington along King George Road will be the assembly point for delegates from Mashonaland West and those from Mashonaland Central will gather at a point near the South African Embassy along Second Street. Cde Chipanga said delegates from Mashonaland East will gather at East 24 along Samora Machel Avenue and those from Harare will start from Raylton Sports Club.
“The delegates will march from their assembly points from 9am to Robert Mugabe Square where President Mugabe will address them and we are giving them about two hours to march,” he said.
Cde Chipanga said some foreign delegations from sister revolutionary parties in the southern African region have indicated that they will also participate.
“This is a march that is being done for a Pan-African leader in President Mugabe and it is befitting that we do it on Africa Day especially since President Mugabe has just successfully completed his terms as Sadc chairman and African Union chairman. We want to demonstrate to the international community that Zanu-PF is still in charge and it will emerge from this event more united than ever before.”
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter