‘If you dream being leader of the country, you have had a nightmare’ says ED

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned party members from planning to overthrow him adding that he was invincible and such intentions were a “nightmare”.

Mnangagwa was speaking on Sunday at a Midlands provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Gweru when he said people plotting his ouster were “misleading each other.”

“Go on and mislead each other. You can even ask your wife to chant your slogan saying forward with my husband. But when you go out of the house, you begin to say forward with Zanu PF, forward with the central committee of Zanu PF. Forget about those ambitions.

“Commissar, tell people that if you dream of being the leader of the country, you have had a nightmare,” Mnangagwa.

“As soon as you wake up, brew some traditional beer and pay rites to your ancestors. Tell your ancestors that you have had a bad omen and ask them why they allow such bad dreams in your life.

“We got this teaching (of not plotting against a sitting leader) from (the late Zanla commander Josiah Magama Tongogara) Tongo long back, but we have not forgotten it,” Mnangagwa said.

This comes at a time when factionalism in the ruling Zanu PF party is brewing.

Recently, former politburo secretary for health Cleveria Chizema and former Mbare legislator Tendai Savanhu were fired from the party for allegedly working with the organisers of a failed July 31 demonstration.

They were also accused of supporting Mnangagwa’s deputy Constantino Chiwenga to take over from the Zanu PF leader.

Mnangagwa added that the ruling party was invincible.

“Zanu PF should never, never shy away from doing that which is in the interest of the majority. We must never be swayed by individuals who pursue personal or sectional interests.

“We must know that the strength of the party is in the mobilisation of masses. The power of the party is in the people, not in Mnangagwa, not in the commissar.

“The power of the chairman is in the people. If people tell him to go, can he refuse?

“As a revolutionary party, we should never deviate from our revolutionary past,” Mnangagwa added.

Mnangagwa came into power in November 2017 through a military coup that ousted late former president Robert Mugabe.

Political commentator DR Pedzisai Ruhanya urged Zanu PF leaders to always remember they were not invincible.

“No government of human beings lasts forever in power. Someone reminds ZANU PF leaders and they should remember 2017. This idea that no one can remove the president is a lie. The people install and remove leaders. Even if it’s through coups, leaders are removed,” Ruhanya said.