Zimpapers Logo

Herald Reporter
Zanu-PF Youth League has distanced itself from a shadowy group calling itself Zimbabwe Youth Action Platform, which made threats to manhandle three Cabinet ministers for their support of First Lady Grace Mugabe.

In an interview last night, Zanu-PF secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Pupurai Togarepi, said the organ of the revolutionary party did not know anything about the group.

“We have nothing to do with it. We have no knowledge about the group including whatever it represents and what they are doing. In Zanu-PF we have processes and procedures of raising grievances and not the manner in which they have done it,” said Cde Togarepi.

He said Zanu-PF was loyal to the party through its leadership led by President Mugabe. Cde Togarepi was responding to claims by the group that claimed loyalty to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“We do not support individuals or owe allegiance to individuals, but to the revolution and the party led by President Mugabe. We believe in supporting party leadership as represented by President Mugabe. We do not know how they selected individuals,” said Cde Togarepi.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu said they had nothing to do with the group, that has been linked to the opposition party.

“It is not in any way affiliated to us as MDC-T. We have nothing to do with the group. We have nothing to do with factional fights in Zanu-PF,” said Mr Gutu.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the group led by its president Mr Tonderayi Chidawa, threatened to manhandle three Cabinet ministers it claimed were fronting the so-called Generation 40, a contrived faction conceived by the private media.

The three Cabinet ministers are Cde Saviour Kasukuwere (Local Government, Public Works and National Housing), Professor Jonathan Moyo (Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development) and Cde Patrick Zhuwao (Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment).

The majority of the youths had wristbands emblazoned with the face and names of President Mugabe and VP Mnangagwa.

Chidawa claimed that the three ministers would be humiliated in public at the National Heroes Acre.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo could not be reached for comment yesterday.