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THE private media has been agog in the wake of the First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe’s recent rallies where she has been pushing the Zanu-PF agenda in her capacity as the Women’s League secretary while at the same time working to ensure that the people’s aspirations are fulfilled. With the opposition parties in disarray, the First Lady is one of the few people in the ruling party taking advantage of the confusion in the various formations of the MDC and the yet to be consummated People First project, to consolidate the gains of the 2013 harmonised elections victory and lay the ground for a massive victory in the 2018 polls.

During her rallies at Cashel Valley in Chimanimani and in Rushinga, Mashonaland Central, Cde Mugabe maintained a strong line against factionalism in the vanguard party and exhorted party cadres to desist from the practice. She trashed reports that she leads a faction in the revolutionary party and warned irresponsible private media journalists that she would not stop working for the people to fulfill the ruling party’s election promises.

The First Lady said those reviving factionalism in the revolutionary party should know that it was “cold outside Zanu-PF.” “If you’re not in Zanu-PF it’s cold out there,” she said. “Have you ever seen anyone who survived after leaving Zanu-PF? Once you leave Zanu-PF you’re completely finished and no one will want to be associated with you. If you’re clever you quickly apologise and you’ll be forgiven. Some of those punished last year are with us today. Look at the trend, everyone who has started a party goes nowhere”.

The First Lady said politics in Zanu-PF was all about working for the people and her countrywide tours were driven by a desire to serve the people, adding that the private media reports were driven by malice. “They (private media) say Mai Mugabe has a faction,” she said. “Where is the faction? I’m Zanu-PF 500 percent. I sleep, eat Zanu-PF and my clothes are Zanu-PF. I don’t understand these people (journalists). I think they need a psychologist to see if they’re not insane. People voted us to work and I’ll just work, work and work for the people of Zimbabwe.”

She added: “I’ll not stop working for Zanu-PF because I stay with a hero (President Mugabe) and I work with big heroes. That’s where I get direction. As long as I’ve energy, I’ll continue working and connecting with people. Come 2018 people will be asking themselves where this old woman was. It’s a free Zimbabwe and you can go wherever you want to go.”

We applaud her steadfast disdain for factionalism and steely resolve to see the ruling party grow from strength to strength. She is showing the way and hope other cadres will follow suit. We regret the impression created in the private media where she has been portrayed as a power hungry factionalist intent on taking over the reins from her husband, President Mugabe.

On countless occasions, the First Family has dismissed these reports but they keep coming with no basis whatsoever.

On Friday, the President also dispelled the notion that there was a succession tiff between the First Lady and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, describing it as fictitious and urging the two to continue driving the Zanu-PF agenda forward. Addressing the 99th Ordinary Session of the Zanu-PF Central Committee in Harare, President Mugabe said the “imagined factions” were a creation of “thankless minds” in opposition parties and the private media.

He said despite the uncharitable attacks, VPs Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko — together with the First Lady — should “acclimatise to the heatwave of criticism” and continue mobilising resources for the country’s economic turnaround. “They (opposition parties and private media) have nothing to talk about, so they will create something,” Cde Mugabe said.

“It is Mnangagwa and the First Lady going at each other in order to take care of themselves before what they call succession. It may be also some women in Manicaland said to be going for each other for the dominance of the province or perhaps in support of the fictitious factions of Mnangagwa on one hand and the First Lady on the other.

“Yes, we get annoyed and irritated by those allegations made against us, but what do you expect to get from the opposition and its sponsors? They have no programmes to sell to the people, no ideas anymore to talk about.”

We agree with the President and urge party cadres to take his counsel seriously and concentrate on driving the developmental agenda. Now that the leader of the party has pronounced himself unequivocally on the matter, we hope talk of factionalism and succession will cease and make way for bread and butter issues which the people of Zimbabwe are worried about. We also urge the private media to practise responsible journalism by publishing factual and credible articles.