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Dr Ignatius Chombo

THE ruling Zanu-PF party continues to confound critics and the opposition with its well-oiled mass mobilisation machinery proving too strong and organised such that the 2018 harmonised elections might turn out to be another landslide for the party of independence.

The nation has been held spellbound by the huge turnout at President Mugabe’s Youth Interface rallies in the country’s provinces and on Wednesday, party faithfuls once again demonstrated the might and force of Zanu-PF when they turned the streets of Harare into a sea of green, red and yellow as they marched in solidarity with the First Lady and Women’s League Secretary Dr Grace Mugabe.

Members of the Women, Youth and Main wings converged on the party’s headquarters where they reiterated their unequivocal support for the First Family while slating sections of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association for denigrating President Mugabe.

Addressing the gathering, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Cde Ignatious Chombo, said the handful of war veterans insulting the First family did not represent the sentiments of the generality of war veterans and Zanu-PF structures will not stand by and watch the unwarranted abuse.

Cde Chombo counselled against painting all war veterans with the same brush, saying there were many who stood by the party and President Mugabe. “Do not paint all the war veterans with the same brush,” Cde Chombo said.

“There are individuals who are unbecoming and trouble makers but the majority respect the party and we work with them well. Those T-shirts insulting the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, that you see are not the work of war veterans but a few individuals. It is the duty of the police to deal with those that denigrate the person of the President. That is why you have seen in recent weeks some of them being arrested.”

Some rogue war veterans led by Mr Christopher Mutsvangwa who were expelled from Zanu-PF have been vocal in their criticism of President Mugabe and the First Family. They have even joined forces with the opposition MDC-T amid reports that they are cavorting with Western forces in its regime change machinations. Their actions clearly demonstrate that they have turned their backs on the ethos, values and principles which informed the liberation struggle since they are now supping with the country’s detractors.

While their liberation war credentials are not in question, the fact that they are now disrespecting the party’s leadership puts them in an invidious position since it is a well-known fact that in Zanu-PF — politics leads the gun and not vice versa.

By exhibiting high levels of indiscipline, the rogue ex-fighters have put themselves in untenable position and they should have no one to blame for the current morass. Clearly, they have chosen the path of confrontation instead of airing their grievances using internal party processes and this is unfortunate.

We are glad that the party recognises that it is not the generality of war veterans that are indisciplined but a motley crew of renegades with a bone to chew with the leadership. The thousands of people who turned up at the party headquarters on Wednesday show that the majority are with the First Family and are willing to put their lives on the line for President Mugabe.

We hope the large crowds being witnessed at the President’s rallies will translate into votes in next year’s polls. Cde Chombo also urged the party faithful to turn the enthusiasm they are showing in attending rallies into votes and ensure a crushing victory for the ruling party in next year’s harmonised elections.

“Our constitution stipulates that every five years we go for elections. Next year, we would have reached five years as a Government. We must go for elections for people to choose their leaders. If we like the President and the First Lady as we have shown today, let’s take this enthusiasm and energy back to the provinces and deliver an overwhelming victory next year. The President and the First Lady would be very happy indeed,” he said.

We couldn’t agree more. With the opposition at sixes and sevens and chances of an alliance fading by the day, Zanu-PF might be lulled into a false sense of security and relax thinking next year’s elections are in the bag. We feel a lot of work still needs to be done to secure a comprehensive victory to cement President Mugabe’s rich legacy. The party should ensure all its supporters who are eligible to vote are registered so that they are able to cast their votes next year.

As for the rogue war veterans who are busy insulting the First Family, we say it’s never too late to repent and come back home. Disciplined cadres do not besmirch or throw insults at their leaders. Instead, they should work hard to ensure that the First family is protected at all costs.