Team Lacoste youths join forces with Mliswa

Four former Zanu PF provincial youth leaders aligned to vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the race to succeed President Robert Mugabe have joined forces with the ex-governing party’s Mashonaland West chairperson, Temba Mliswa.

In a media statement yesterday Mliswa who is the founder and national coordinator for Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard), announced that former Team Lacoste-aligned regional chairpersons Godfrey Tsenengamu (Mashonaland Central), Vengai Musengi (Mashonaland West), Godwin Gomwe ( Harare) and Tonderai Bosha (Mashonaland East) had been co-opted into his organisation.

“Yard is pleased to welcome and announce the appointments as provincial committee members for recruitment and mobilisation of Godwin Gomwe, Godfrey Tsenengamu, Vengai Musengi and Tonderai Bosha,” Mliswa said.

The former Hurungwe West legislator who was also a victim of the relentless Zanu PF purges which gained pace in 2014 after Mliswa and other party bigwigs were expelled for backing former vice president Joice Mujuru’s presidential ambitions, said the latest recruitment has ensured that Yard now had complete structures throughout the country’s 10 provinces.

Mliswa, who has not joined Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First party along with his other former comrades opting instead to mobilise youths to participate in national electoral programmes ahead of the much anticipated 2018 elections, also denounced political violence that has been the hallmark of the country’s elections since 2000.

“Yard continues to denounce police brutality and violence and encourages everyone to ensure that their voice is heard through the ballot box by ensuring the understanding and appreciation of the electoral processes of voter education, registration, inspection and participation,” Mliswa added.

Following their expulsion, the four youths who operated under the Save Zanu PF Campaign banner tore into Mugabe accusing him of personalising both the former liberation movement and the party.

They also accused the nonagenarian, in a 12-page dossier, of using them to hound Mujuru out of the party on untested allegations of plotting to assassinate him.

The youths also claimed that the 92 year-old Zimbabwean strongman had attempted to use them to do a Mujuru on Mnangagwa. Daily News