President Robert Mugabe yesterday berated senior government officials and Zanu PF bigwigs for letting down the nation, which is now facing an unprecedented economic crisis, while concentrating on toxic factional fights and the never-ending debates centred around his successor. BY XOLISANI NCUBE
Source: Zanu PF bigwigs a letdown: Mugabe – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 15, 2016
Addressing a Zanu PF central committee meeting in Harare yesterday ahead of the party’s annual conference in Masvingo this week, Mugabe said 2016 has been a disappointing year for him as indiscipline and factional fights diverted attention, with senior members jostling for higher positions.
“While our people, generally our grassroots, have remained united, we the leaders have failed to show maturity.
This is quite disturbing. As leaders, we failed to demonstrate the high levels of maturity and discipline expected from us,” he said.
Zanu PF has been rocked by intense factional wars pitting Team Lacoste, reportedly linked to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and G40, said to have links to First Lady Grace Mugabe, with both battling to sponsor the veteran politician’s successor.
“I have said this before: There is nothing wrong in expressing ambitions, an aspiration for position which would be available for any post in the party,” Mugabe said.
“But I have, on most occasions, frowned upon shameless unbridled ambitions, which seek to rise and rub up shoulders of the ladder. You don’t jump for party positions. People are spending time scheming against each other, plotting to harm each other, ahhh.”
He railed against dirty politics and mudslinging, saying no one should be allowed to infiltrate the party and use its members to advance “selfish agendas”.
“The main focus of the party requires us to commit ourselves to serve it diligently and quietly. Is this what we are doing? So, dirty politics should never be entertained in the party,” Mugabe said.
“The traditions of the party are that you rise up slowly. You subject yourself to the people. You are elected by the people and if you win, you would have won, and if you lose, you would not have lost being a member of the party, but you have merely lost the chance for that moment.
“There is always a tomorrow. So, these things, which [political commissar, Saviour] Kasukuwere calls shenanigans, whatever that word means, should end.”
The central committee, theoretically Zanu PF’s highest decision-making body in-between congresses, was set to receive a report from the politburo on the state of the party and preparations for the annual conference underway in Masvingo.
Mugabe told Zanu PF supporters that without unity within the ruling party, it was impossible for the government to succeed.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF secretary for transport, Oppah Muchinguri, yesterday handed over 45 of the 360 top-of-the-range vehicles purchased by the party for the 2018 elections campaign.
The vehicles will be used by the women and youth leagues, as well as provincial leaders to drum up support ahead of the crunch polls, where Mugabe faces a sterner test from an envisaged opposition coalition.
The fleet includes buses that would also be used to ferry supporters to campaign rallies across the country.
Muchinguri said the party was working on setting up its own garage to ensure service and maintenance of the fleet.
COMMENTS
That old dicrepid fart called Mugabe is solely responsible for the collapse of this country – nobody else but him alone. ANY and ALL Zanu PF members are a letdown, including the chief bigwig himself.
Muchingiri – instead of setting up a garage to service your vehicles (it will never work due to theft of spares), you should actually set up a garage for fixing that old man’s health problems so that he doesn’t have to spend $1.5million each time to go to Singapore for a blood transfusion. By the time the elections come around at least 50% of those vehicles will be off the road due to mishandling and bad driving. What a waste, and where did the money come from?? Hopefully, by the time the elections come around the chief bigwig and his thieving wife is nowhere around.
The biggest letdown of all is . . . . Uncle Bob
this is a gud speech but what are supposed to do to those power hungry leaders
great idea from the pres
Well as they say, “A fish rots from the head”.
And that is certainly true of our political leadership in Zimbabwe.
The rot started with Mugabe who always firmly believed that he was going to rule Zimbabwe forever. Never mind that he brought Zimbabwe to its knees economically, and in all other fields of endeavour.
So if we cut off that rotten head and throw it in the rubbish pit perhaps we will have a chance of saving Zimbabwe.
That is not to say that there are several other heads that will have to join his in the rubbish pit!
blame the dog This old man is just old Memory loss Remember Tongogara J Nkomo —because this old man wanted the hot seat himself Now he has failed he blames his crew You are the failure People in Zim are hungry -that not because of fighting within Zanu You cant even say peoples are destitute because you stupid guys up there are fighting for positions and why wouldn’t they —you are out of the country fro medical treatment 3/4 of the time for health treatment and leisure at the expense of the people who voted for you You wife buys rings 1.4 million dollars and yet people are dying with a crippled economy You are the leader do something You smile when they are corrupt Charity begins at home you old useless uncaring old man You ruined Zimbabwe don’t hide behind your ministers