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George Maponga in Masvingo
President Mugabe yesterday challenged Zanu-PF leaders to stop spending most of their time on unnecessary infighting instead of coming up with innovative ways to engender socio-economic development in the country.

He was speaking before officially opening the Herbert Chitepo School of Law at Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo, named in honour of the late national hero and Zimbabwe’s first black lawyer Cde Herbert Chitepo.

President Mugabe urged the revolutionary party’s leadership to fulfil long-standing plans to build a school of ideology named after Cde Chitepo.

He said the Zanu-PF leadership should take a cue from Great Zimbabwe University and find ways of mobilising resources to build the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology that has been on the cards since the attainment of independence in 1980.

President Mugabe challenged Zanu-PF secretary for Administration and Chairman of the Herbert Chitepo Trust Cde Didymus Mutasa, who was present during the official opening of the Law School, to spearhead mobilisation of financial and material resources to build the school of ideology.

“On behalf of the party, government, me and my family I want to thank you for this gesture of naming the law school here after Cde Chitepo and I think we (Zanu-PF) should learn a lot from this,” he said.

“We are wasting time insulting each other Cde Mutasa, yesterday (Thursday) I went home at 9pm because of the Politburo meeting and only managed to sleep at 2am.’’

President Mugabe said it was disappointing that Zanu-PF had been overtaken in paying homage to the late Cde Chitepo by Great Zimbabwe University which was the first to name a facility after the iconic late nationalist.

“We are still to do our School of Ideology named after Cde Chitepo. We wanted to build it in 1980, then 1990 then 2010 and we are here today,” he said.

“Perhaps Cde Mutasa you are here, you will be inspired. You cannot just wait for money! Our people are prepared to make bricks, even building. We can even make financial contributions, but there has been lack of drive which this man (GZU Vice-Chancellor Professor Rungano Zvobgo) has in abundance.’’

President Mugabe said honouring Cde Chitepo was only the second way of paying homage to the late nationalist besides the interment of his remains at the National Heroes’ Acre.

“I was a great friend of Herbert and this is so far only the second way of honouring him after burying him at the Heroes’ Acre,” he said. “We are happy that Great Zimbabwe University built a real monument where he will speak to you. Herbert, here is your honour! That’s it, and it all comes from you (Professor Zvobgo)”.

President Mugabe described the late Cde Chitepo as a selfless leader who made immense personal sacrifices to kick-start the Second Chimurenga. Cde Chitepo played a key role during the early stages of the decisive phase of the liberation struggle as the chairman of Zanu, together with his wife, Politburo member Cde Victoria Chitepo.

President Mugabe chronicled the late Cde Chitepo’s history starting from the early days when he was a bright student at school before getting a scholarship to study at Fort Hare University in South Africa.