adminCletus Mushanawani News Editor
THE Zanu-PF Manicaland youth leadership says it will deal decisively with all rogue elements in their ranks, who have developed a knack of causing chaos and humiliating top leaders.
The decision by the provincial youth leadership follows unruly behaviour by some youths who are not in the structures of the party which first reared their ugly head during the First Lady, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe’s Meet-The-People Tour at Sakubva Stadium on October 10.
Some of the rogue elements who are said to have the blessings of some senior party members attacked their counterparts from Harare, led by Harare provincial youth chairman Cde Godfrey Gomwe.
The hired mob was at it again during Sunday’s provincial co-ordination committee meeting held at Marymount Teachers’ College in Mutare where they jeered and heckled senior party members among them Cdes Oppah Muchinguri, Mandi Chimene, Joseph Chinotimba, Chris Mushohwe, Kudzi Chipanga, Kelvin Manyengavana and Supa Mandiwanzira.
In an interview, Zanu-PF deputy Manicaland youth provincial chairman Cde Mubuso Chinguno distanced his executive from the rogue elements, saying only a few individuals were abusing their positions to pursue an unknown agenda.
“We don’t condone violence and we are going to institute an inquiry to determine the hands behind these disturbances. We are a disciplined wing of the party and we will not allow unruly elements to use the name of the youth wing to humiliate our senior members. Those found guilty will face the full wrath of our disciplinary code of conduct. This should come to a stop because we cannot allow our youths to be used by a few individuals for political mileage,” he said.
Zanu-PF national deputy secretary for youth affairs Cde Chipanga said it was not all the youths in Manicaland who were causing trouble. He singled out Sheila Mutsenhu, who is a member of the provincial youth executive.
“The said youths who demonstrated at Marymount are not in Zanu-PF structures.
“They are the same youths who caused chaos at Dr Mugabe’s rally at Sakubva.
“They are being led by a female provincial member. Mutsenhu is leading a one-man band without the blessings of the provincial youth executive.
“We will take stern disciplinary measures against her for bringing the name of the party into disrepute. No one is bigger than Zanu-PF. After all, she is no longer a youth as she is now well above the stipulated age of 35, a reason why she if finding it difficult to align herself with youths. If she has issues against the First Lady she should face her personally than to terrorise our youths by forcing them to act against their wishes,” said Cde Chipanga.
Cde Chinguno said the provincial youth executive was fully behind the leadership of Zanu-PF’s First Secretary and President, Cde Mugabe, as well as the elevation of Dr Mugabe to lead the women’s league.
“We want to reaffirm our support to President Mugabe as the sole Zanu-PF Presidential candidate at the congress and beyond. We are also behind the decision by the women’s league to have Dr Mugabe as their leader. She is a mother figure and a businesswoman of repute. Her good deeds are well documented as evidenced by her involvement with the Danhiko Project as well as the Mazowe Orphanage. We want her to use her business acumen to reinvigorate the women’s league.
“Her elevation to the helm of the women’s league will sign factionalism’s death warrant because she is a peace-loving woman. She is a unifier,” said Cde Chinguno.
Cde Chipanga also threw his weight behind Dr Mugabe’s ascendency.
“Some people are saying I jumped the ship in backing Dr Mugabe. Which ship have I jumped?
“I belong to Zanu-PF led by President Mugabe and I cannot be crucified for taking a stance to support the First Lady. They can demonstrate and call me names, but I am a Zanu-PF cadre to the bone.”
In her contribution during the PCC meeting, Central Committee member and Member of National Assembly for Makoni East, Cde Chimene said: “I was away for the past three weeks and heard a lot of things being said concerning the state of the party. I was dismayed by what I witnessed as I drove to this meeting. This madness should stop because I was a target of verbal abuse with people calling me all sorts of names.
“Who hired these people? This is a confirmation that there are some people who are abusing their power by hiring people to attack innocent people. Cde chairman, something should be done,” she said.
In an interview on the sidelines of the meeting, provincial chairman, Ambassador Dr John Shumba Mvundura, said the demonstrations were an expression by party members that they want unity of purpose in the party.
“The message I got from the demonstration point is to the effect that people are against any divisive elements in the party. We should all work together and have Manicaland on the map all for the good reasons. We are wasting too much energy and resources fighting each other at the expense of implementing our economic blue-print, Zim-Asset.
“Political malcontents are failing us and the election fever ahead of the Central Committee elections is causing all these issues.
“People are jostling for positions and are using all sorts of tricks, but some are facing resistance from the people. What we want is to be united all the time.
“Besides the demonstrations, our meeting went on very well with everyone contributing freely. It was a constructive meeting. Everyone was expressing his or her feelings without any fear,” he said.
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