‘Party leaders should unite people’
MIDLANDS bears historical significance. This is where nationalist leaders were detained by Ian Smith’s colonial regime and from whence plans were crafted to further the armed struggle.
This is where Smith himself found domicile until his last days. And this is where Zanu held that grand muchtalked-about first National People’s Congress.
So, for the historically-conscious and President Mugabe, the seventh Presidential Youth Interface Rally in Gweru last Friday evoked much reflection.
With quick wit and sharpness, the President said as much as he revealed the special abode the Midlands has in his heart.
Some nationalists have told of how President Mugabe was a unifying factor in detention. And that same unifying spirit is what he brought to the interface.
He bade party leaders in the province to unite the people, and to walk in step with the rest of the party. His message was clear: Unity. “You must be united, think alike, act alike,” he said.
“Be in step with each other, in step with the march. Kwete kuti VaChipanga vachikuti left-right, left-right, iwe uri kuti right-left, right-left. Aiwa, hazviite.
“Zvinoratidza kuti unenge usingazive gwara. Vamwe vakatarira kumabvazuva, ah, iwe wakatarira kumadokero; pavanotarira kumadokero, iwe ndipo powotarira kumabvazuva, aiwa, hatidaro.
“. . . Imi hamusimi munganzi Midlands inodzidziswa nemamwe maprovince, not Midlands, no! Asika vatungamiriri venyu vana (Zanu-PF Midlands Chairperson Daniel) Mackenzie (Ncube), vose vana (Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Jason) Machaya vose nevari shure vanaJuly Moyo, be in step; mova vanhu vane experience-wo yekuti, ahh, kwatakabva kure.
“Kwatakabva kure nevatungamiriri ava, kwete kufurirwa kuti, ahh, mungabva matituka, kutitukirira. Eh, tenge tichiti ko, zvava zviiwo izvi? Kwatakabva kure, takabatana tose nevakomana vamurikuona ava. Vana (Vice-President Phelekezela) Mphoko navana (Vice-President) Emmerson (Mnangagwa) vari papa ava, takabatana.”
President Mugabe said Zanu-PF’s principles should be followed religiously, adding that those against them were free to leave the party.
“Vanenge vakanganisa maprinciples iwayo, negwara iroro, vatsausa, havatsvagirwe mushonga, aiwa. Mushonga uripo tongovaranga muparty — garai pasi, chii chamurikuita? Tichiri tose here kana hatichiri tose?
“Kana wava nedzimwe pfungwa wobva mubato redu reZanu-PF, redu rine gwara, rine hunhu huripo, rukudzo ruripo. Asi kana waakuita zvanaTsvangirai, buda muno, hatikude. Hausisiri wedu.”
President Mugabe said leaders should be guided by ideology.
“. . . Ndomaitiro edu nekuti musangano hausi waleader, aiwa. Musangano ndewe vanhu. Mutungamiriri, leader, is a leader of the people. Kwete kuti iye pfungwa dzake oga, oga, oga zvake ndodzotungamirira musangano — hatidaro muZanu-PF.
“No! Pfungwa dzako iwewe inzwawo vamwe kuti vanotii padziri; topanana mazano ipapo and then we move forward; that’s how we have done it.”
Added President Mugabe: “Vakabuda-ka vakanga varasa gwara. Chionai zvavarikungoita sezvi taunha. Munozviziva zvitaunha? Vanotsauka vachienda kwakati, vabvarurana ipo pakati.
“Pavanenge vati taita chedu ichi chakadai, mozonzwa kuti, ah ah, ah, vatobvarurana pakati: uyu wakwake uyu wakwake. Ndozvazvinoita kana vanhu vasina gwara.
“Imi hamudaro nokuti makasungana, munoziva kwamakabva, kufirwa kwamakaitwa nevazhinji. Wha Wha iripanoka; Wha Wha paseri apa. Ndopataizaridzana ipapa apa, tichitutirwa ipapa navavengi. Zvavaiita vavengi izvi, kwaive kusimbaradza musangano kuti tive nesimba.
“Ivo vakanga vasingazive kuti zvavarikuita izvi zvinotovapa simba kuti varambe vachirwira nyika yavo. Vaifunga kuti, ahh, tirikupanichwa. Haa, vakaenda kuWha Wha vanochema.”
He said the Second Chimurenga was about taking back land from colonialists.
“. . . Raive gwara rataitara, asi 1979 takazokurukura nemaBritish ivowo vaona kuti hapana kwavachaenda, ndokubva vati aiwa nyika yenyu tabvuma kuti muchitora.
“Taive nezvinangwa zvakasimba – ivhu redu ngaridzoke, hatibhadhare kana kobiri nekuti harina kumbotengwa. Hapana chakambopiwa vakuru vedu saka hatingaritengi patsva. Takamira takadaro nanaVaNkomo.
“Ikoko chionai, we were the two leaders leading delegations, Zapu and Zanu, but takazenge tabatana tavaPatriotic Front. Kuno kumusha vakanga vaita yainzi People’s Movement; takavadaidza kuti vave padhuze tichiconsulta navo vese vanaBanana, VananaMarere, vose vananaJ.Z Moyo.
“Saka taitova ehuge huge group, asi vaienda kumeeting vari vashoma vachitungamirirwa nesu vaviri.”
Black South Africans were still marginalised in terms of land ownership, he said.
“Ndaive kuSouth Africa two weeks ago, ndichiti, ko, imi makamboitasei? Ndaitaura naMinister anoshanda muOffice yaVaZuma anonzi Radebe (Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe) kuti seiko panyaya yevhu iyi, sei makasiya mabhunu akangobata kwese kwese?
“Akati iye nechirungu, ask your friend Mandela, as if Mandela is still present. Zvakanzi ask your friend Mandela. Handina kuzoenderera mberi nekuti ndakanga ndanzwa kuti pavakaita matalks avo nemabhunu nevamwe, vanaMandela vabuda, iye Mandela akati, aiwa, ini ndine ruzivo rwakakwana.
“Mose hapana zvamungandibatsire, sarai ndinono negotiator ndiri ndoga. Saka aka negotiator ari oga, bhururu wangu Mandela. Zvino ruzivo rwake honai ndozvo zvarwakabudisa izvi.”
The President was not done with his theme of unity.
“Sekutaura kwandakamboita kune mumwe musangano kuti izvi zvamurikuita, zvamaita kuma provinces ose manomwe aya kareko, aiwa, hatina kumbozvifunga maitirwo azvo.
“Hongu taiita marally ataiti tikuenda kurally yekuMidlands, rally yekuMasvingo, rally yekuBulawayo, kwaMutare ari marally. Asi zvekuti timboti ngatiitei misangano yakasimba yekukokorodza munhu wese vadhirike province-by-province, ah ah. . .
“Hongu taiita macompaigns nemarallies akadaro, asi aive simple rallies and simple election campaigns, saka rambai makadaro. Ndoda kukutendai, kukutendai mese youth province nekuuya kwamaita.
“Continue to work together. Continue to work neleadership yenyu vanaMcKenzie vanaMachaya nevamwe vose. Don’t get disunited, aiwa unity, unity, unity.
“So, as I say all the time in remembrance of John Nkomo: ‘Peace begins with me, Peace begins with you, Peace begins with all of us.”
First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe also spoke on the need for unity and adhering to party principles.
Amai Mugabe was pleased with the Youth League’s mobilisation prowess.
She said: “Ndizvo zvatinofanira kuita isu, Youth League neWomen’s League, kufamba tichi mobiliser vanhu, kuti vanhu, sekutaura kwandakaita, kuti vanhu vasanzwe sevakanganikwa.
“Ndezvechokwadi VaChipanga zvamataura kuti kune mumwe munhu anoda kuvhoterwa, akangovhoterwa, that’s it, ozowonekwa panext election. Vanhu vakadaro pasi navo!”
She went on: “Unity, unity tinoida pakushanda kwatinoita. President vambotaura kwanga kuchivhurwa Community Information Centre mutown vakati izvo VaMachaya, mataura imi kuti muri loyal kuna President. Chairman wemuprovince vakataura zvimwechete kuti President tinokudai.
“President vakataura kuti zvamataura ndazvinzwa kuti muri loyal kwandiri, asi ndinoda kuti zvamataura izvi zvisave zvekutaura ndiripo. I hope zvinoramba zvichienderera mberi ndisipo, zvekuti muri loyal kunaPresident wenyu. Ini ndakambozvitaurawo kuti zvatinoita nekuti President varipo tichida kuvafadza ndozvatinofanira kuita kunyangwe vasipo.”
On succession, Amai Mugabe said: “Mumwe nemumwe ane chipo chake. Mwari vachirikuda kuti VaMugabe vatitungamirire. Kana nguva yakwana, ivo VaMugabe vachinzwa kuti nyama hadzichagoni . . . Vachataura kuti chisumukayi, chitsvagai; ini ndaakuda kuzorora.
“Izvi zvemhirizhonga, zvefactionalism kuti ahh, taakuda kupinda, pasi nazvo. Varikuzviita, you stop it, forthwith! Tinoda unity of purpose.
“Kuno kuMidlands mataura kuti takabatana kune unity, hakuna factionalism. Kana kusina factionalism asi zvaazvimwe. Asi mashoko atinonzwa tirikure haafadzi, achizobva kuno kuMidlands nekuMasvingo ekutukirira mukuru wenyinka, kutukirira mukadzi wake, kutukirira vana vake . . .”
She also said: “Handifunge kuti nhasi mungandiite convince pane unity of purpose. Unless you are telling me that from today, from this hour zvachinja; maita realise kuti kwete factionalsim haishande nekuti kushanda pamwechete zvakanaka ndozvinoshanda. Saka, ndiri kukumbirawo kuti ngatirege kutukana.
“Inga wani makaremekedzwa, Vice-President vanobva kuno. Munoda kuti President vave nekunzwa moyo kuti ah imhosva here kutora mumwe wavo kuti ndishande naye? Hatidi kuita zvinokanganisa magariro edu pamusoro.
“Imi vese varikuita izvozvo, ny’any’a dzirikutaura zvefactionalism, vachitaura zvakashata, you stop it! Hazviendese musangano mberi nekuti musangano iye zvino tinotaura kuti takasimba.
“Ngatitaureyi nezvemastrength atinawo nemaopportunities and weaknesses, but iko zvino we can actually talk mostly of strength pasina zvefactionalism.
“Saka mundinzwewo ini Mai venyu; ndirikuraira kuti vana vadiki vanomukira kutuka VaMugabe hauwane kukomborerwa pamhuri yako. Hauwane kukomborerwa muMidlands. Ngatityei Mwari nokuti maleaders anobva kuna Mwari; nekuti Iye kana asati afunga kuti VaMugabe must go, vacharamba varipo.”