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Herald Reporter
FORMER Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Cephas Msipa has thrown his weight behind the position taken by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA) on Monday that the party should introspect and stick to its founding prin- ciples.

Cde Msipa said Zanu-PF was fast losing direction as people were now spending time fighting for positions.

The war veterans on Monday said they were concerned with the lack of respect for the country’s liberators and harassment and suspension of people in the ruling party.

Cde Msipa yesterday weighed in castigating the unilateral suspensions and expulsions of party members.

The party’s national commissar, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, is at the fore of suspending party members and over the weekend, he unilaterally announced the suspension of Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Midlands provincial chair- men.

Such actions, Cde Msipa said, were not good for the party let alone the country.

In an interview with The Herald yesterday, Cde Msipa said: “The party is getting lost. This is not the Zanu-PF that we fought for. The one that we fought for believes in unity of purpose. Where have you seen a party that concentrates on suspending and expelling its members every day?

“We have lost direction as a party. In a way, I agree with the war veterans because we need to refocus and give priority to the needs of our people. The problem is that we are spending much of our efforts on who occupies which pos- ition.

“We fought to liberate our country and ensure that our people are not second class citizens in their country. Everyone is asking; where are we going?”

Cde Msipa said the current in-fighting in Zanu-PF should stop immediately and ensure that leaders focus on economic development.

He said Zanu-PF was formed to serve the people and not to allocate each other positions.

“What is happening now is an embarrassment to the President who is a well-recognised statesman the world over. But back home, people will say, look, his party is in tatters,” he said.

“Some people think that I am mad when I speak about this country but the reality is I love it so much that it pains me to see some people undoing what we fought for.”

Cde Msipa said war veterans played a key role in the liberation struggle and are a respected institution the world over.

He said people in Zanu-PF were now living in fear – not knowing who the next victim of suspension or expulsion was.

Said Cde Msipa: “My heart bleeds when I think of some of the finest brains that lost their lives to liberate this coun- try.”

At a Press conference on Monday, war veterans said civilians should not interfere with the security sector asking what crime they had committed that warranted public vilification.