admin
Lenin Ndebele
ZANU-PF and the breakaway Zapu should avoid making inflammatory public statements but instead, in private, find ground to work together for the sake of their liberation ideology and national unity, Politburo member Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube said yesterday. Speaking at Unity Day celebrations which coincided with the official opening of the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, the unveiling of the late Vice-President’s statue and the renaming of Main Street after him in Bulawayo, President Mugabe set the ball rolling for unity.
He called on Zapu cadres who repudiated the 1987 Unity Accord to return to the fold and work towards developing the country.
Rtd Col Dube, who is also a former Zipra commander, said he respected Zapu, president Dr Dumiso Dabengwa for his response on the issue.
Dr Dabengwa initially said Zapu did not have an immediate answer to President Mugabe’s request and would require wide-ranging consultations among its membership. This week Zapu rejected the overture. “We don’t expect an overnight answer. They are right to think about it because this is not about personalities but nationhood. In that process I urge people to be calm and collected. There is no need to insult or undermine anyone,” Rtd Col Dube said.
He said he was optimistic that the two parties would reunite one day.
He gave a nostalgic eulogy of the history of Zipra and Zanla, the two armed wings of Zapu and Zanu that jointly prosecuted the armed struggle. Rtd Col Dube said by virtue of sharing the same ideology during the armed struggle, the two parties also share the same values in the post colonial era. As a result there was no way they could fail to make a formidable union today.
“We fought the same enemy and after independence when we joined forces through the Unity Accord in 1987 we meant business. We want our comrades (who broke away) to contribute to nation building. That can only be done if they are part of the ruling party. The opposition will always remain in opposition but those that want to work for the people have to work with Zanu-PF. The elections are gone now, I lost but my party won nationally and as such I am working for my country,” he said.
“There are many people on the sidelines who were real soldiers, real patriots. In fact we respect Zapu, that is why we want it to come back home for the sake of legacy and nation building,” he added.
“There are numerous case studies the world over that show opposition politics in countries where the ruling party has landslide popularity are incapacitated. As a result the most logical route to take is joining the ruling party.
“If it is working for the people that they want, we are open. But if it is opposition for the sake of opposition then their grievances are selfish. Our biggest rival is not the MDC-T or MDC-N, it is working for the people and if we join hands we defeat the enemy,” he said.
Zanu-PF won more than two thirds majority in Parliament and 61 percent of the presidential vote. It however lost in Bulawayo.
Online Reporter