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President Mugabe on the podium in Gweru

Nduduzo Tshuma in Gweru
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday called on the Zanu-PF youth league to compile a list of landless colleagues as there are places around the country where they could be given portions of land as part of the Government’s response to their grievances.

Addressing more than 120 000 party supporters at the 7th Presidential Youth Interface Rally in Mkoba, Gweru, President Mugabe said the party’s Politburo would look at the list of the grievances presented by the youths in the meetings and find ways of assisting them.

The President made the promise as he bemoaned the state of affairs in neighbouring South Africa where he said despite winning independence, the white minority still has control of the country’s resources while the majority blacks continue to wallow in poverty.

He however spoke against the double allocation of farms saying every Zimbabwean was entitled to benefit from the resource as the country cannot expand beyond its borders. “I’m glad that you have put together your thinking, grievances and request, we will look at those requests like the grants in universities and land, plots that can be given to the people. We will look at them properly with the Politburo,” said President Mugabe.

“We want numbers of those without places to farm and we will do something, we will definitely do something for you because we still have places which have free land which we can use for the purpose.”

He called on the youths to learn about the country’s history especially that of the war of liberation so that they have full appreciation of the importance of self- determination.

“We want you leaders of tomorrow to have the adequate ideology, you should know the party well, you should know the history of the party well, know the struggle that was waged, it’s now history yes but you should know why the fight was waged and why our people suffered, being put into camps and into prisons,” said President Mugabe.

He hailed the party faithful who gathered for the rally saying the numbers confirmed that Midlands was the shining light of the party, a status the province has held since the days of the late Vice President Simon Muzenda.

President Mugabe said the numbers also  confirmed that the Midlands Province was firmly rooted behind the ruling Zanu-PF and its leadership.

He said the success of the rally should be a lesson to other provinces and the party’s senior leadership of what could be achieved if members worked in the spirit of unity shown by the youths.

“What you are doing, what you have done in the other provinces, we did not think of in the past. Yes, we held rallies but we did not think of big meetings of gathering of people to show support for the party,” said President Mugabe.

“Remain like that, follow the ideological direction. That’s very important, follow that direction always. There is need for unity, you must be united, think alike, act alike, be in step with each other, in step with the march and not when (Zanu-PF secretary for youths, Cde Kudzanai) Chipanga says left right, you do right left. No, it’s not the way, it shows that you won’t be knowing the path, some will be looking east, you will be looking west, when they are looking west, you will be looking east, it shows that you are not in sync with others.”

Meanwhile, Cde Chipanga castigated a clique of war veterans for insulting the First Family and trying to fan factionalism within the ruling party.

He said the youths were behind President Mugabe and his candidacy in the 2018 elections.

The youth leader said university students were appealing for grants so that they could pay  tuition and complete their studies just like some of their predecessors who benefited from Government funds.

Cde Chipanga said they were working with Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo to hold an 11th Interface between President Mugabe and students from tertiary institutions across the country.