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President Mugabe

Lloyd Gumbo and Felex Share
President Mugabe has implored Zanu-PF members to dump those whom they are fed up with together with their backers at the party’s elective congress in December.

He made the remarks at the Zanu-PF Headquarters yesterday where thousands of war veterans, women and youth leagues asked him to sack VP Mujuru for bringing his name and that of the party into disrepute following allegations of corruption, abuse of office and plotting to topple him.

President Mugabe, while lashing out at party misfits, said he could not hurriedly fire them as the party had procedures of dealing with such vices.

He said like in a marriage, if party cadres were found on the wrong side, he would part ways with them.

The crowds incessantly begged the President to fire them immediately.

“Aiwa partyka, inemarongero ayo,” said President Mugabe.

“Chinzwaizve inga kana muchato inodambuka wani. Ungabva wati here munhu wemurume ‘ibva pano pamba pangu enda kumusha kwako’ zuva mudzimai wawagara naye?

“Unomupawoka nguva yekuti agadziridze zvaari kuita. Handiti munenge maita vana, apa dzimwe nguva anenge amboitawo dura rake maaisa turukweza twake zvino ungabva wangomuti aah simuka usina kana mbatya?

“Aiwazve handiti nyaya yacho inoiswawoka kuvabereki vemukadzi kuti ahh ndozvakuita mwana wenyu izvi ehe yotaurwawoka zvakanaka saka matauriro atinoita zvakanaka nenzira yakanaka kucongress kwedu inga yasvika wani congress yasvika, zvese tichataura izvozvo. Saka vamunenge musingade hamuvavhotere, vamunoda vamunenge matuma kwatiri ndivo vanopindawozve. Aiwa pfungwa dzenyu tadzinzwa nemazwi amurikutaura ivo vanenzeve vanozvinzwira.”

(The party has its own ways of handling things. Even in a marriage there is divorce, but you don’t immediately send your spouse away. You give her time. Vote out those you do not want.)

President Mugabe said the party had been infiltrated by people who were power hungry, a far cry from the virtues of the liberation struggle where cadres respected elected officials. He acknowledged that there were people who harboured ambitions to topple him through vote-buying.

First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe during her “Meet the People” tours throughout the country revealed that VP Mujuru was complicit in corruption as she demanded 10 percent shareholding from several companies.

The money, she said, was used for vote-buying ahead of the congress.

“Kana pane varikuda zvigaro hazvisi zvokurwira, zvekutenga vanhu nemari kuti usapotwe,” said President Mugabe.

“Kuzadzisa zvido zvevanhu ndizvo zvinoita kuti nebasa raunoita iwe vanhu vaone kuti uri mutungamiri wechokwadi.

“Zvino kana uri mutungamiri anoda kuti vanhu vandisesekedze ndigozowana chigaro ndigozowana maitiro emari aah hauna kufanira kuva mubato redu.

“Haukodzere kuva mubato redu kana uri munhu wemari. Kana usingazivikamwe nguva yese yehondo zviri izvo zvawaiva nazvo mupfungwa kunyangwe uri veteran ukangoratidza izvozvo toti hoo ndozvawakaita izvi hatikude.

“Saka pazuva ranhasi nechiratidzo chenyu ndinovimba kuti vamwe vachanzwa zvirikubva pano.”

President Mugabe said it was against the virtues of the liberation struggle to illegally topple elected leadership, adding that he had raised the issue with Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Cde Didymus Mutasa. The Zanu-PF first secretary said there were allegations that Cde Mutasa eyed the national chairmanship and the heckling targeted at him was because of his allegiance to those who sought to unseat him.

“Ndakataura navo (Cde Mutasa) kwemaawa anokwana maviri ndichiti muri kunenerwa huroyi, vakati kwete kwete handife ndakadaro,” said President Mugabe.

“Kuti ndiyeyu muroyi hapana mumwe apedza hama? Chandakavaraira ndechekuti kana vachiita mashoko nekufambidzana nevanonzi chaivo ivo varikuda kukutura President ndozvirikuita vanhu vati nemiwo.” (I talked to Cde Mutasa for two hours and told him if he associates with those who want to topple the President people would also link him to the plot.)