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STEPPING INTO THE FUTURE . . . Revolutionary parties like zanu-pf must have a vibrant youth league that understands its principles, values and ethics so as to inject new blood and create a vanguard

Panganai Kahuni Correspondent

It must be pointed out that ZANU-PF cannot forever avoid entry into party structures of young and new members. Mafikizolo is a divisive political term that negates nurturing of a patriotic cadreship for continuity.

Current upheavals and open warfare in the revolutionary Zanu-PF can be put squarely on the doorstep of failure of ideological and organisational leadership.
It is a matter that the party commissariat should be seized with.

The ideological system/concept of the party should emanate from the teachings that are carried out consistently and persistently by the commissariat department.
Party principles, values, ethos and culture, whose objectives centre on nurturing a cadreship that puts the party and national interests first while subordinating individual egos, should be vigorously and ethically disseminated throughout the stratum of the party from Politburo down to cell level.

It must be noted that the Politburo now has youth representatives, hence the need to educate that organ in order to understand the modern strategic political behaviours of leadership required at that level.

During the liberation struggle, both Zanu and Zapu were infiltrated by enemy agents such as the Selous Scouts.
In some cases, people deserted from the Rhodesian security forces to join the struggle. Zanu and Zapu did not just accept these people at face value. After thorough screening, both revolutionary parties carried out vigorous political teachings which in the majority of cases convinced those who had treacherously joined the struggle to abandon their missions and become true freedom fighters.

It must be noted here that ZANU-PF cannot avoid entry into party structures of young and new members. Continuously calling such people “omafikizolo” will not help to strengthen the party.

If anything, mafikizolo is a term used by the old guard who do not want to nurture and guide new entrants as a way of protecting their positions.
Mafikizolo is a divisive political term that negates nurturing of a patriotic cadreship for continuity.

In religion, it is said a church that does not have new congregants experiences stagnation if not extinction. In politics, a party that does not inject new blood will not rule forever. I guess this is why every party must have a vibrant youth league and women’s league. The objective is to inject new blood and create a vanguard.

A vibrant youth league that is uncorrupted, which understands the principles, values and ethics of the party will be able to brutally defend the legacy of any revolution as is the practice in America, China and Russia.

It must be noted here that the concept of a “strategic jacket” has survived in these nations because of the establishment of a vibrant, disciplined and uncorrupted youth league. In America, at Philadelphia, in 1987, this writer witnessed 12 000 students going through a parliament session on an hourly basis 24/7 on a process of Americanisation of the youths.

Sadly, Zimbabwe abandoned youth training programmes that were meant to nurture a patriotic youth citizenry.
Food for thought.

The Herald of Tuesday September 2 2014 published an article titled “Party bigwigs pushing for regime change”. It will take all the tricks of expurgation and the greatest manipulation of truth ever fashioned to wipe out of the pages of history the dreadful things and monstrous wrongs that have been inflicted on Zimbabwe by the settlers who came here, so they said, to bring their so-called civilisation to this great nation.

There is not one of the said ZANU-PF bigwigs that has not, in a minor or major degree, felt the oppressive heel of colonial rule.
Many of us have been confronted only too recently with the shocking actualities of sanctions to be able at this moment to push them out of mind.

This point is instructive so that it stays in the minds of those who may be tempted by the seductive promises of neo-colonialism to forget the real character of colonialism and be persuaded away from our own true nationalism.

Most war veterans are witnessing with shock the destruction being caused by a handful of senior citizens whom we are told are seeking personal glory.
Most war veterans wonder why in modern day politics ZANU-PF seems to be elbowing out liberation war fighters.

While it is commendable to inject new blood across all levels of the party structures, there seems to be a deliberate exclusion of most liberation fighters.
The late national hero Cde Moven Mahachi implored the party to employ war veterans in the commissariat and security departments of the party at all levels.
The idea was to strengthen the ideological stature of the party.

It was also meant to tap into the ideological and screening experience which war veterans got from such process during the liberation struggle.
The employment of war veterans in the commissariat and security departments of the party would have made it impossible for impostors to infiltrate the party.
Many combatants of the liberation struggle argue that it would have been difficult to practise factional politics and talk of mafikizolos.

War veterans would have continued to mobilise the youth in a patriotic manner to rally behind the revolutionary party.
Unethical practices such as those undertaken by the rogue so-called Chipangano youth would have been dealt with decisively.

The Chipangano activities were some of the reasons that made people in Harare to desert ZANU-PF.
If one studies the teachings and examples of Cde Herbert Chitepo, Dr Nkomo and the teachings of Cde Mugabe, it should not be difficult to structure modern ideological concepts based on the past history of Zanu and Zapu.

The commissariat department needs to walk that extra mile and add that extra pound of energy in reinvigorating the party’s commissariat work.
The party commissariat must take seriously the President’s call to establish a well-organised party whose structures exist and are well manned.

The party cannot afford to be run on structures that are filled by co-opted members who are the choices of certain individuals with certain political ambitions.
Co-opted members, as non-elected party officials, should not be allowed to run party activities for a period more than three months.

There must also be clear guidelines on suspension of party members and who has the final authority to effect the suspensions.
This practice breeds factionalism as it can be easily manipulated.

In many organisations enemies within the gates are more destructive than those outside the organisation. In religion, in order to limit the amount of sinful congregants, the gospel is taught on a weekly basis.

In a productive organisation, performance assessment is done on a daily basis in order to weed out unproductive labour, machinery and related input costs. So in politics too, the ZANU-PF commissariat must know that ideological teaching is a process that should be practised on a regular basis.

It must be noted here that ideology is the foundation of nurturing a patriotic citizenry free from corrupt practice as was done in China.
The commissariat is the bedrock of ideological teaching whose goal is to produce patriotic cadres capable of fighting corruption, thereby fostering economic development.

Thus, the commissariat must fashion a strategy of creating a cadreship that understands the political, social, economic and cultural demands of modern-day politics for the party to remain relevant.

Panganai Kahuni is a political socio-economic commentator.