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President Mugabe

Takunda Maodza in KARIBA—
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday dissuaded senior Zanu-PF officials from taking their differences to opposition media houses, saying there were internal party mechanisms to resolve grievances. The President called for unity in Zanu-PF, saying a party emerging from a resounding electoral victory must not tear itself apart.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at Nyamhunga Stadium after commissioning the construction of the Kariba South Power Extension Project, President Mugabe said: “Zvekushambadza wonzwa kuti minister akati arikutukwa . . . takati nezuro kumaministers edu hakuna nyaya yekuenda kumanewspaper anaTsvangirai muchitukana. Nyaya ngadziuye kudare kwete kungoti nyaya kumapepa ana Tsvangirai, Hatidi (You hear that a minister says I was maligned in the media . . . yesterday we told our ministers not to go to the opposition media to disparage each other. Bring all issues to our party forums not to always rush to the opposition media, we do not want that),” he said.

President Mugabe also lashed out at senior politicians in the party who abused their powers by interfering in the operations of the Youth and Women’s Leagues saying such behaviour must stop forthwith.

He said the Politburo discussed the manner in which the Youth and Women’s League conferences were conducted and noted a number of irregularities but resolved to accept the outcome in the hope that such challenges would recur.

“Nezuro takange tiri mumusangano wePolitburo . . . tanga tichiongorora kuti macongress akaitwa ema youths nemadzimai zvakabuda tino zvibvuma here? Saka takakurukura tikaona nhamo dziriko zvekutenga mavotes kana zvokunzi vanhu vanovhota zvakati, aiwa vanhu ngava vhote nemutowo wavo vasingamanikidzwe.

(Yesterday we had our Politburo meeting where we reviewed the Youths and Women’s League congresses, whether we agreed with the outcomes. We discussed the issues and discovered there were problems of vote buying and vote manipulation. We want people to vote freely),”President Mugabe said.

He added: “Seprovince munenge makaronga hazvirambidzwe, zvatinoramba ndezvekuti tive nevamwe vakuru vanoti ita zvekuti. Hatidi. Vamwe vemuPolitburo vaimanikidza vadiki (As a province you may have your plans, yes its allowed. What we do not want is a situation where some senior party members tell people who to vote for. We do not want that. We had some Politburo members forcing youths to vote in a certain way).”

President Mugabe said some youths all of a sudden now faced disciplinary cases.
“Kwabuda kuti kwaive nemhosva dzainge dzopomerwa vamwe. Takati kuma chairmen aiwa. Iyezvino tiri kuzviongorora kuti tirambe kutukana nevadiki tichivabvisa pazvinzvimbo zvavo. Nyaya idzodzo dzichange dzichiongororwa ndokusaka takati vakoke machairmen ose emaprovinces vavape gwara (It also emerged that some youth leaders were being victimised.

“We told the provincial chairpersons we do not want that. We are looking into that, we do not want wrangles with the youths and purging them from their positions. We said invite all the provincial chairpersons and guide them accordingly),”President Mugabe said.
He urged Zanu-PF not to behave like the MDC-T which has been torn apart on several occasions by internal fights.

“Isu hatidi zvokubvarurana izvozvo. Toda kuti mubatane mumaprovinces menyu muchitevera gwara reparty muchitungamirwa nachairman va Khaya Moyo. Saka aiwa tichaita nguva yatichazenge tichiuya zvakanaka tichifamba mumaprovinces.”

President Mugabe encouraged Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman Cde Temba Mliswa, to work well with youths and to resolve any differences with them amicably but desisting from public acrimony.

Some youths in the province are up in arms with Cde Mliswa over the suspension of the Mashonaland West provincial youth leadership led by Cde Vengai Musengi.

They accuse Cde Mliswa of interfering with the operations of the Youth League, a charge he has dismissed.
President Mugabe said the party leadership must be apprised of the charges facing the Youth League members before they were punished.
“Asati arangwa tinenge tichida kuziva kumusoro kuti akanganisa chii?” he said.