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President Mugabe

Harare Bureau
President Mugabe has said he will not appoint a successor as that is not constitutional but a responsibility of the party’s Congress which convenes every five years.

The next Zanu-PF Congress is due in 2019.

Addressing scores of Zanu-PF supporters on the eighth leg of the Presidential Youth Interface rally at Chipadze Stadium in Bindura on Saturday, President Mugabe said the law did not allow him to appoint his own successor.

“We never have had our Presidential system, procedures, unguided by the rules of the party.  We do not do that, to say that I am President now, I want to be succeeded by so and so, I want to be succeeded by Mai Mugabe, Emmerson (Mnangagwa), (Phelekezela) Mphoko as my successor,” he said.

“It is contrary to the Constitution. I cannot do it. It is not allowed.  The Constitution says the successor is elected by Congress.  I can be a candidate yes, but there can be other candidates at Congress and I follow. I am a lawyer also, I follow the law. I follow the regulations very strictly, I don’t want people to then say that I handpicked by wife as my successor, no.

“That is what some leaders in former French colonies do. We don’t do that in Zanu-PF.  We have a good history as a party. We adhere to it.”

President Mugabe also took a dig at rogue war veterans expelled from Zanu-PF who insist on commenting on party issues claiming to be speaking on behalf of VP Mnangagwa.

He said Zanu-PF would not entertain them and that those who wanted to come back knew party procedures.

“These boys (Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association leaders) who are making noise, we don’t know why they are doing so,” said

President Mugabe. “If they are Cde Mnangagwa’s supporters who aren’t well versed with our Constitution, they must be told what it says. It is a pity that they have decided to go that way but we should not support them and it is right and only right that we should never entertain them. They are wrong and they have been punished by the party and we should not entertain them. If they want to return to the party, they know the procedures.  They know where to place their pleas, that we want to return but we cannot invite them to say come and be associated with us,” he said.

“No. It is completely wrong so I hope that Cde Mnangagwa you take that advice into account. Give them the chance to languish if they want to languish in the dark where they chose to be. We do not pay them to come back.”

Turning to the forthcoming elections, President Mugabe stressed the need for unity among Zanu-PF members.

He urged the party’s senior leadership to learn from the Youth League’s organisational capacity as shown by the huge turnouts at the ongoing Presidential Interface rallies.

“As we approach elections we must continue like that,” said President Mugabe.

“I want to thank the Youth League for organising a successful rally like this one.  We had another successful one in the Midlands, this one and six others we have had.  This one is number eight.  They have all been successful.  There has not been fighting or quarrelling, just peace and order.  We listen to the leadership.  Let us keep it like that and get to elections like that.  Our leaders must learn from the Youth League.”