Party leaders anger President Mugabe

By Farirai Machivenyika

President Mugabe yesterday slammed some Zanu-PF leaders for practising factionalism which he said led to some delegates to the party’s 6th National Youth League conference not being provided with food, while the opening ceremony was delayed due to transport shortages.

He was speaking while officially opening the Youth League conference which attracted thousands of delegates from all the country’s 10 provinces. President Mugabe and First Lady Grace Mugabe then donated 1,000 tonnes of maize and several cattle for consumption by the delegates.

But he expressed anger at party leaders who are jostling for leadership positions and creating divisions within the party, instead of serving the interests of the people. The delegates are staying at various colleges and institutions in the capital.

“We have started late,” he said. “We have started late, why? Because transport had not been organised. Some people had not been ferried from some places and even now some are yet to arrive. Why, why, why?

“I will not accept claims that there was no money to hire buses. What is happening to subscriptions that party members are paying? Ehe we must be frank, I am just not happy.

“The whole of the Central Committee has been sitting to plan these conferences on the basis that the financial side of the party, those who are responsible for raising finances of the party, are doing so, only to be told that we don’t even have a single cent.

“What is happening in the party? I have also been informed that people have not been provided with food at the different places where they are staying apart from the delay in transport, Aah! Are we failing even to take care of the people? Are we saying there is no food, we cannot provide food for the people?

“The Central Committee, what are we doing? Why are we failing as senior members of the party? I was just being informed as I entered here that there is no food so I said to Mai Mugabe, we harvested maize, they should take 1,000 tonnes because this is not acceptable. We cannot allow a situation whereby people go hungry. We also realised people need relish so again we said they should take some cattle and slaughter.

“Within the party are we saying as members we failed to make contributions? So, it doesn’t matter how many cattle whether they are 20 or 30 we said they should take them and provide meat to delegates. It’s very painful. During the congress we will suspend milk deliveries to the dairy so that the milk is supplied to delegates.”

Meanwhile, President Mugabe said that leaders who failed to exhibit their leadership qualities would be dealt with at the National People’s Congress to be held in December.

He also apologised to the delegates for the inconveniences and said a sub-committee of the Central Committee would be set up to ensure the conference, that ends tomorrow, is concluded without further hitches.

“It’s very bad,” he said. “We will organise ourselves after this in a better way and I am looking forward, I am seeing what is happening and alas when it comes to Congress don’t cry… I can’t have a Central Committee or Politburo which is that inept. Where some of us have come from is far.

We know what we were doing all along.

“Our people are generous people. You can’t tell me our people could not donate even a cent towards this Congress. Anyway, we shall look at the matter, we should examine ourselves as leaders because there are individuals who are just concentrating on power and are busy organising clandestine meetings but where does the power come from?

“It comes from these people. So, I would want to apologise for the inconveniences. You should however behave while we organise so that you have a better stay. I just don’t want what has happened. So we will be working closely with Cde Sikhosana. I will ask some members we will select from the Central Committee so that we set up a committee to manage the conference and the welfare of the delegates.”

President Mugabe took a swipe at leaders who are abusing their authority by using youths and party structures to push their selfish agendas.

“Our party, Zanu-PF, has two wings – the Youth League and the Women’s League and the party has rules that must naturally be obeyed because we must all be guided and regulated by the party,” he said.

“But we must have the freedom to express ideas and we must not be inhibited or obstructed in expressing our ideas. When our organs are set up, they are given leaders. It is not right for we, at the top, to want to run the organs that we have given leaders or try to regiment them and move them in a direction of our own liking, especially when it comes now to the fulfilment of our ambition, the ambition to get to top posts.”

President Mugabe said people in the party do not belong to anyone, but the party.

“Senior leaders in the province would want to get to the Central Committee and they start organising the youths, you and you do this for me! No! Pasi nemi,” he said.

“Central Committee members who want to get into the Politburo and to get into leadership positions of the party, this one I want to get into this position and start recruiting so and so of the youth and say aah I have my people.

“Aah, these are ours! Laba ngabethu! They belong to the party, they don’t belong to individuals. The clandestine organisations, the activities going on in the party just now are filthy, dirty! They are destroying the party and people pretend they think they don’t know what’s happening. Weevils (Zvipfukuto), ehe! I heard that someone said we should use Gamatox to destroy them.” The Herald