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Lloyd Gumbo Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday castigated ambitious cadres in Zanu-PF who fight for positions through personality clashes which are threatening to split the party. The President, who is the Zanu-PF First Secretary, said most of the differences were initiated by party cadres who sought to advance themselves for positions.

President Mugabe was speaking at the Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting in Harare, which is part of the on-going 15th Annual National People’s Conference that he will officially open in Victoria Falls tomorrow.

He said while problems were expected on how to organise the party, elections, administration and recruitment of new members, problems bedevilling the party presently were to do with personality clashes for positions.

“So, we’ve a problem at the moment that threatens to split the party,” warned President Mugabe. “Some are looking at the forthcoming elections, yet they’re still far. They come in the year 2018.

“But the ambitious ones are working, some openly, some behind the scenes in all kinds of ways in order to place themselves in positions which they think will make them be elected.

“Some want to be in those positions now. Never, just now! Elections take place once in five years, at the end of the five years, we all resign and the ambitious ones can line up.”

President Mugabe said party cadres were allowed to be ambitious, but should follow party rules.

He said some people who joined the party recently already harboured ambitions for senior positions in the party and government.

“Positions are not harvested like matamba/imkhemeswane (wild fruit), positions come because of your stature and because people like you,” he said. “Do people like you? Abantu bayakuthanda yini?

“What good have you done so that people vote for you? Even those that came recently, those that came after the 2014 elections want to be given top positions.

“Some became Parliamentarians in 2013 and want to be given Cabinet posts. We won’t do that! Who are you? To be aggrieved ah, ‘why did I not get a position’, who are you? What’ve you done for the people? What history have you got in the party?”

President Mugabe said although cadres could have personal hatred of each other, they were expected to accommodate one another for the good of the party.

He raised concern with the growing tendency within the party structures of officials wantonly passing votes of no confidence against other party cadres.

“The rules of the party apply and must apply in an orderly manner, a just manner to everyone, don’t discriminate,” said President Mugabe.

“The party has all kinds of individuals. It has individuals we like and individuals we dislike. It’s not everybody we like. We don’t like the manners of so and so perhaps. We don’t appreciate the habits of the person next to you, but he’s a member of the party and he must be tolerated.”

President Mugabe hailed the Women’s League and the Commissariat department for ensuring the party was well-oiled to win by-elections that have been held since the 2013 harmonised elections.

He took a swipe at a provincial chairperson whom he said questioned his decision to appoint some people from that province to some positions.

The chairperson, whom President Mugabe did not name, argued that the officials had been appointed without the province’s blessings.

“You provincial chairman, do you have the power to reject someone the President has appointed because you want someone of your choice?” he said. “To hell with you. I choose people according to my knowledge of them, what I think their capabilities amount to and whatever experience, I think you have.

“They may not be your friends, but they’re party members and they must be accepted, so we want to hear those that say these are not our people because we didn’t elect them and then you tell us who appointed you to be in that post.”

President Mugabe said there was a need for party cadres to promote unity among Zimbabweans and shun tribalism and regionalism.

He said all Zimbabweans regardless of which tribe or province they hailed from, deserved equal opportunities in all the country’s provinces, including farm allocations.

President Mugabe said the government was putting mechanisms in place to improve people’s livelihoods through the implementation of programmes such as Zim-Asset.

“Well Zim-Asset yes, but Zim-Asset must be propped and I’m sure you can see some of the efforts that we’ve been making to get those of our friends outside Africa with the assistance that could come our way,” he said.

“Recently, we had a visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping. A number of programmes, as you will be told later, were discussed and agreed, some will continue to be discussed and possibly agreed.

“I got an assurance from him (President Xi) that they will help us as much as possible, provided we proceed to work on projects and programmes that they can accept as deserving that assistance.

“There’ve been efforts by the leadership of the party and leadership in the government, also to seek more assistance from countries like Brazil, Belarus, and Russia etc. So, this assistance will be forthcoming, its effect can’t be felt today, but by next year, we hope the change will be felt by our people.

“So, let’s remain united, let’s remain focused, purposeful and hard working and I want to say your history of oneness is what we use as we talk to our friends that Zimbabwe is united. It was united when it fought the enemy, it’s one. It’s non-racial, non-tribal and truly national.”

President Mugabe bemoaned the effects of climate change such as drought that he said made life difficult for Zimbabweans.

There was a need for the country to adapt by utilising the rains it receives and practice water harvesting, he said.