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President Mugabe

WE applaud President Mugabe for displaying astute leadership and maturity by rallying the ruling Zanu-PF party to remain united and guard against allowing its enemies to divide it using covert tactics.

Referring to the teachings of the great Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Tse-tung, Cde Mugabe told a solidarity meeting of war veterans at the Zanu-PF Headquarters in Harare on Wednesday that Zanu-PF had, during the liberation struggle, learnt a lot from the Chinese on how to resolve internal differences. “The Chinese sit down and discuss with squabbling parties, giving their ideas. Those that conform to the party ideology will be taken on board. That is how contradictions were settled in China. That is how we were settling them also in our camps outside the country. Let’s not fight each other. We do not want war. We don’t want violence,” he said.

The President’s remarks followed a suggestion by the acting chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association, Cde Mandiitawepi Chimene, that Cde Mugabe should replace one of his deputies, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa. Cde Chimene alleged that VP Mnangagwa was fanning factionalism in the party by allegedly leading a faction in Zanu-PF called Team Lacoste. But the President, in a great show of his leadership acumen, urged caution, telling war veterans and party supporters not to rush to conclusions before gathering concrete evidence.

He said the freedom fighters should know that the enemy was tirelessly working through covert avenues to divide Zanu-PF. “We shall keep together at the top,” said President Mugabe.

“We shall remain united. We know that accusations will continue to be made, allegations naturally, some true, some false but Zanu-PF knows how to settle its contradictions. In our view, let us not accuse anyone of leading a faction when we don’t have evidence. Give it time. You must be mindful of the fact that our enemies want to divide the party, abusing our names. The truth shall come out but let’s be vigilant”.

The solidarity meeting came in the wake of a treasonous communiqué clandestinely issued to the media by a clique of war veterans denouncing President Mugabe’s leadership last week. No one is claiming authorship of the unsigned statement which was read out by ZNLWA national commissar Cde Francis Nhando during a meeting which was allegedly chaired by Cde Headman Moyo and attended by war veterans secretary general Cde Victor Matemadanda among other leaders of ex-combatants.

We reiterate that the communique issued by a handful of rogue war veterans was ill-advised and very disrespectful of President Mugabe. As an affiliate of Zanu-PF, the ZNLWVA has no business dictating the internal workings of the ruling party and by calling on the President to resign midway through his term of office, the ex-fighters’ actions were not only traitorous but also treasonous.

What is disturbing, however, is their claim to be pushing for the elevation of VP Mnangagwa to the helm of both the party and nation — something which the VP has rubbished as utter nonsense. By continuously bringing up the name of VP Mnangagwa to give their nefarious activities a veneer of legitimacy, the rogue war veterans are driving a wedge in the top leadership of the party and nation and this is unacceptable. President Mugabe said it was the duty of the party leadership to denounce those fomenting divisions.

“If accused, it is also up to us to tell the people that the accusations are false,” he said.

“You give them the correct position and keep them informed because people will keep on saying it’s you, it’s you. But we don’t want to be divided. That is what we don’t want. I don’t like it. We want to keep together but it is our duty to denounce this together, to denounce these developments together outrightly and not to hesitate so the people continue to have total confidence in us.”

We agree with the President and urge party leaders and the generality of the membership including affiliates such as the war veterans’ association, to close ranks and work towards another massive victory in the 2018 elections.

The West and its local surrogates are working day and night to infiltrate the party and sow seeds of division to weaken it and achieve their regime change designs. Thus the party should remain resolute and vigilant and guard against complacency. In the meantime, we call on war veterans to immediately convene an extraordinary congress to elect a new leadership because the current regime appears to have lost its way.

Like President Mugabe said, Zanu-PF is a strong party with a long history and cannot be destroyed through a piece of paper christened a communique originated by rogue elements. As for the authors of the subversive document, their comeuppance is imminent and we are sure they will get what’s coming their way.