No to ‘bhora musango’ mantra: VP Chiwenga

ZANU-PF members should set aside their differences, shun the “bhora musango” mantra and start driving the revolutionary party’s primary agenda of resoundingly winning the forthcoming harmonised elections, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday.

VP Chiwenga, who is the Zanu-PF Second Secretary, said it was now time for dedicated party cadres to unite and forget fissures induced by the party’s recent primary elections.

Opening a national healing and reconciliation workshop for the party’s winning and losing candidates in Harare, VP Chiwenga said internal conflicts should play second fiddle to the party’s interest of retaining power.

The two-day workshop, which ends today with an address from Zanu-PF First Secretary and President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, brought together all National Assembly and Senate winning and losing candidates.

“Kana wati bhora musango zvafanana nekuti kana paita nzara mumusha woti ini ndakunoisa vana mubako ndokuti pamwe nzara ingapere,” VP Chiwenga said.

“Inopera here nzara? Iwoyo mweya unenge wapinda iwoyo tinoti wava waRegioni. Hatiude mumusangano wedu. Tinoda kugara tiri vanhu vakaswatuka mune zvose zvatiri kuita.”

The workshop is an initiative by the Zanu-PF Commissariat department through the Chitepo School of Ideology.

Zanu-PF held primary elections to select candidates to represent the party in the forthcoming harmonised elections recently, which resulted in some misunderstandings between contesting candidates.

This resulted in some reruns in about 11 constituencies in the country.

The level of competition in Zanu-PF primaries was high, with more than 8 000 candidates, including those for councils, participating in the polls.

VP Chiwenga said while primary elections were a race, members should unite and post a crushing victory in the harmonised polls expected by the end of July.

“Whenever there is a race, one comes out as a winner, but in Zanu-PF there are no winners or losers,” he said.

“We are all winners. It doesn’t mean winners have to gloat and think the party belongs to them alone. If someone wins know that tomorrow it will be your turn. Hapana pfunde pfunde kuti zvazofambirei zvakadaro.

“Let’s have the spirit of self-criticism. Hazvina kuti ndadyirwei or sei uyu apinda ini ndisina. Apinda ndiyeye tose totsigirana.”

VP Chiwenga said party cadres should cherish and safeguard the independence that came after a protracted liberation struggle.

“Zanu-PF has a history as a party, not just of competing in elections, but of having fought a bitter and bloody war to liberate the majority of Zimbabweans,” VP Chiwenga said.

“No one will rub that history because the country did not come on a silver platter. Thousands perished and are lying in mass graves in and outside the country.

“While we are in here, let’s note that what is important is putting the interests and objectives of the party at the forefront because those are the same reasons sons and daughters of the soil perished.”

Turning to the election campaign, VP Chiwenga said it should be “free of violence, deepen the spirit of tolerance and be guided by the understanding that we are all children of Zimbabwe and above all we are God’s children.”

“You shall be provoked in this campaign by our detractors, even by our fellow comrades, but the spirit of tolerance must be within you,” VP Chiwenga said.

“We have all come of age and there is no need for fighting. Hatifanane netundumurwa twuri kumhanya utwo twunoti kana twashaya zvekuita twotanga kutaura zvisingataurike pamberi pevanhu.

“We want the election to be free and accepted by everyone, even those who despise us. We should show them that Zimbabwe has come of age and we know what we are doing. Fighting does not help us at all.”

VP Chiwenga said the participation of many candidates in the primary elections was meant to enhance democracy within Zanu-PF.

“From the onset, we knew the whole process was going to be a mammoth task considering that this was the first time we had embarked on such a process,” VP Chiwenga said.

“However, the commissariat department did its best under the circumstances to ensure that the process was a success. To be honest with ourselves, we have to acknowledge that the entire process was a learning curve, hence challenges were encountered in both cell verification and the primary election.

“Our main challenge was anchored on our quest to ensure that as many candidates as possible participated in the elections.”

Chitepo Ideological School principal Cde Munyaradzi Machacha said the workshop would focus on topics which included internal democracy and its challenges, presentation of the party manifesto, opposition parties’ messages and strategy and Zanu-PF’s campaign strategy.

“Some of us are holding high positions for the first time and this workshop will have to train and equip them with relevant skills and knowledge that come with those posts,” he said.

“After the workshop, we should come out more united and give opposition parties a massive defeat as usual.”