‘Punish errant Zanu-PF cadres’

Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau—
Zanu-PF Second Secretary and Vice President Cde Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday said the party should charge cadres who insult President Robert Mugabe using covert means such as creating shadowy groups. VP Mphoko said this while addressing a Zanu-PF Harare provincial conference convened ahead of the party’s 15th National People’s conference to be held in Victoria Falls this week.

He was the guest of honour.

“Mr Chairman, (Cde Charles Tawengwa) make sure all your resolutions are solid. They should criminalise this open insult. President Mugabe doesn’t need rotten people; if you become something else he doesn’t need you. He can do with all the people but not individuals. Don’t insult the President using other means,” said VP Mphoko.

He said the Zanu-PF presidium led by President Mugabe was united and it was preposterous for anyone to suggest that one of the members was leading a faction. “If you say President Mugabe is the centre of power, how then can I, having been appointed by him and taken oath of allegiance, lead a faction.”

VP Mphoko said there was need to fight factionalism, tribalism and corruption in the party. He said there was need to respect party elders and referred to an incident in the Bible where one of Noah’s sons laughed at his father and was cursed.

This came as Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere launched an attack on national war veterans leader Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa for working to undermine the party leadership by fanning factionalism and trying to monopolise the liberation struggle.

In an interview soon after the meeting, Cde Kasukuwere said there were some people who wanted to subvert the authority of the leadership of the country.

“There’s been unbridled ambitions of power and that has to be checked and the issue of trying to undermine the leadership of the country really, that’s an issue that’s been raised by the party and that’ll be dealt with. We’re in this situation where there’s an attempt to subvert the authority of the leadership of this country whatever the reasons, we’ll have to deal with and we’ll not allow it to be the order of the day in the party,” said Cde Kasukuwere, who is also Local Government Public Works and National Housing Minister.

Addressing the conference, Cde Kasukuwere said there was a senior party official whose dirty past was well known. He accused the bigwig of having destroyed some State entities that include Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and was in the habit of flying to China where he would backbite party leadership and cut shady deals.

“There are some who want to monopolise the struggle. We aren’t going to be scared. We know what they want, to destabilise the party, and looking for money. Some of you, you lost track a long time ago, you no longer like our party President and we even know the person whom you wish should take over,” he said.

“We aren’t scared. This is the party that I was born in. We aren’t going to be pushed out of Zanu-PF by people whom we know are corrupt, they’re taking bribes, enough is enough of this Mutsvangwa nonsense. You want the party to remain in your hands alone,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

The national political commissar said he was also a war veteran in his own right having joined the government as an intelligence officer at the age of 18 and went to Mozambique.

He paid tribute to former national war veterans chairperson Cde Patrick Nyaruwata and former secretary general, Cde Endy Mhlanga – both of whom were in attendance – for their contribution to the country before and after independence.

He hailed Harare province for coming of age in defending Zanu-PF after it got back six constituencies from MDC-T. Other senior party officials who attended the meeting included Politburo member Cde Patrick Zhuwao and Mashonaland Central acting provincial chairperson, Cde Dickson Mafios.