War vets, youths rally behind term extension

Source: War vets, youths rally behind term extension | The Sunday Mail

War vets, youths rally behind term extensionZANU PF Harare provincial chairperson Cde Goodwills Masimirembwa (right), Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde John Paradza (centre) and Harare Province Youth League chairperson Cde Emmanuel Mahachi chant the party’s slogan during the Youth League inter-district meeting in Harare yesterday

Nyore Madzianike and Conrad Mupesa

THE push to extend President Mnangagwa’s term of office to 2030 was given impetus yesterday when ZANU PF Youth League members in Harare and war veterans in Mashonaland West province reiterated calls for the implementation of the major resolution that was made at last year’s National People’s Conference in Bulawayo.

Youths in Mashonaland West also added their voice to the call for the President to stay on beyond 2028.

The province says it will begin disciplinary procedures to remove Central Committee member Cde Blessed Geza from the party’s structures following his “treacherous utterances” calling for President Mnangagwa to step down.

Speaking at the ZANU PF Harare province Youth League inter-district meeting at the party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday, Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde John Paradza castigated those against the resolution to extend the President’s term.

“This is not a church gathering where we preach. This is a political gathering, and we will not fold our hands and look as some elements block our wishes. We will stand by President Mnangagwa and live to see the development that he is doing,” he said.

ZANU PF Harare Youth League chairperson Cde Emmanuel Mahachi said they would “take action” against those attempting to derail President Mnangagwa’s vision.

“We will invoke the party’s constitution and take disciplinary action against those who would go against the party’s Bulawayo resolution.

“As the ZANU PF Harare Youth League, we are calling for the President to go beyond 2028 for him to fulfil Vision 2030, which he conceptualised.”

Speaking after the provincial youth executive meeting held in Chinhoyi yesterday, ZANU PF Mashonaland West Youth League chairperson Cde Tapiwa Masenda said: “Our position as the Youth League is very clear. We are fully behind His Excellency President Mnangagwa’s term extension beyond 2028. We resolved that at the conference in Bulawayo in 2024, and we will stick with this no matter what.”

Cde Masenda urged party members not to be distracted by a “disgruntled few” who are acting against the resolution that was unanimously endorsed at the conference.

“This was the first resolution that we made at the conference and it was unanimously recommended by the party. Anyone who speaks against it is not speaking for the party. We will not be dissuaded by the disgruntled few who lost primary elections in 2023 and are now peddling unfounded claims against President Mnangagwa,” he said.

Cde Geza lost twice in the party’s primary elections in Sanyati — in 2018 and 2023 —  to Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura.

At a separate meeting, the Mash West province War Veterans League chairperson, Cde Happison Muchechetere, said the former freedom fighters are solidly behind the bid to extend President Mnangagwa’s term.

He made the remarks after the provincial war veterans meeting that was also held at the ZANU PF provincial offices in Chinhoyi soon after the youth members’ meeting.

“As the War Veterans League, we stand behind the President, who was democratically elected. We are also solidly behind his term extension to 2030.”

In an interview after the meetings, Mashonaland West ZANU PF provincial chairperson Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said Cde Geza’s utterances were deplorable and his days in the ruling party were numbered.

“As a province, we have decided to take action. We resolved that it is unacceptable for a war veteran and Central Committee member from our province to utter such statements,” she said.

“Those utterances were treacherous. If he had any issues with the President and the party’s resolutions, he had several channels to follow to register his concerns. We voted for our President in 2023 and all the party’s supporters from the cell upwards resolved that the President be in office until 2030 at the conference.

“Cde Geza was at the conference last year, where he had the chance to dispute the resolution when it was presented.

“As the provincial leadership, we have started the process of removing Cde Geza from the party as we feel that he is not one of us.”

She said the province will follow due process.

COMMENTS

WORDPRESS: 1
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    Comrade Geza why are you so determined to support a Geriatric who is bereft of any meaningful ideas for the next generation of Zimbabweans? Are you stupid of just simply a sycophant? Mnangagwa is an old man who desperately wants to cling onto power.
    He must retire and let someone who has better ideas to lead the country.