PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has cracked the whip and ordered war veterans to take part in the planned solidarity march organised for him by the Zanu PF youth league despite their earlier threats to boycott the event.
Source: Mugabe calls war vets to order – NewsDay Zimbabwe May 12, 2016
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya confirmed the development yesterday.
“It is no longer a million-man march, but a parade that has been called by the President. Now as military people, we have decided that we will take part because it is our leader who has called on us and not some ideologically bankrupt group with ulterior motives,” he said, adding they could not defy a directive from their party leader
The Zanu PF youth league has been struggling to co-ordinate the march and in a last ditch attempt last week ordered provincial structures to marshal funds enough to transport 100 000 people each to the capital for the procession tentatively set for May 25.
Early this week, war veterans dismissed the planned march as a waste of resources at a time the majority of ordinary Zimbabweans were facing grinding poverty, but Mugabe flexed his muscle and reined them in.
“We are taking part to provide leadership and the ideological direction that was lacking. We feared it would have been hijacked by some people to push their own agenda. The planned march did not have the correct political ideology and a formula to mobilise people and we are going to provide that,” Mahiya said.
“It is basically the politburo, chaired by the President that has officially invited us and Zanu PF has its ways of raising funds. We always had a problem with the exclusion of war veterans in the planning for the march. But now we think this is the beginning of a proper political programme that should turn into economic programmes that benefit the people.”
Tensions between the youth league and war veterans, have been simmering for some time with both sides trading verbal spats.
This comes amid reports that a section of the youth league was supporting the G40 faction fronted by First Lady Grace Mugabe, while part of the war veterans’ association was sympathetic to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Both Mnangagwa and Grace are reportedly jostling to succeed Mugabe, although they have publicly denied harbouring such ambitions.
COMMENTS
Morgan is not the only flip-flopper. It’s a national attribute. Mahiya is shameless.
flip flopping is the order of the day in Zimbabwean politics. What else its obvious because they fear the president hiding with him being their leader. Nowonder why we are so much backward and premitive, we will never learn until Mugabe dies. but you people should know that if these “dictatorial tentences became the order of the day resistance will became a norm”.
mugabe kaharahwa, zanupf thugs,havanyari.