Zimpapers Logo

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
Zanu-PF should remain united under the astute leadership of President Mugabe and shun divisive tendencies such as factionalism and externally-engineered disturbances, a senior party official has said. Addressing the Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial inter-district meeting in Chinhoyi at the weekend, Politburo member Cde Cain Mathema said Zanu-PF has a mandate to improve the lives of the people.

“As a party we need to consolidate political power so that we gain economic power to improve the lives of the people through programmes such as Zim-Asset and the 10-Point Plan,” said Cde Mathema, who is secretary for lands and resettlement in the Politburo.

He said liberation movements in the region are under siege and should remain diligent to thwart machinations by Western powers and their embassies, some of which have been fingered in disturbances witnessed last week.

Cde Mathema said the party will not sit idly and watch while people abuse social media to ferment chaos in the country.

“We are here to tell the people that the party is in power and Government is functioning well.

“We have silly corrupt monkeys in the form of the MDC and their ilk who think they can cause an Arab Spring (uprising) on us through use of social media. We will not allow that to happen,” he said.

Turning to the mainstream media, Cde Mathema said they should come out in full support of Government.

On factionalism, he said anyone associated with a faction is anti-President Mugabe and is bent on destabilising the party.

Cde Mathema, who is also Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, urged party members to shun tribalism saying it is a doctrine of former colonisers which seeks to separate people on small things for their gain.

He said Zanu-PF officials including Members of Parliament and councillors should deliver through working together with party structures.

“To have people celebrating a borehole is an insult because it is a carry over from colonial times which perpetuated subsistence farming.

“We need piped water scheme projects so that our farmers venture into commercial agriculture,” he said.

Provincial chairman Cde Ephraim Chengeta said the party in the province was strong and solidly behind President Mugabe.

The conference was attended by Politburo members Cde Tsitsi Muzenda and Dr Douglas Mombeshora, Central Committee and National Consultative Assembly members, provincial and district members among others.