President Mnangagwa calls for unity in Zanu PF ahead of polls

Gweru (New Zina) –Zanu PF first secretary, President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday officially opened the ruling party’s mobilisation workshop where he called for loyalty, dedication, discipline and unity among candidates aspiring to represent it in the August 23 harmonised elections.

Addressing the media after the closed-door meeting, Zanu PF national political commissar Mike Bimha said President Mnangagwa in his address urged the candidates to put the party ahead of themselves.

“The President reminded them (candidates) that the party comes first, not themselves.

“He spoke on issues of loyalty, dedication and discipline…that we cannot win as a party until we are disciplined, loyal and dedicated to the party and leadership. They should be knowledgeable on what the party stands for,” he said.

Bimha said candidates should put the primary elections behind them and focus on winning as a team.

“The most important thing is that we must be united. There are people we are saying are winners, but there are no winners in totality.

“Yes, they came top among people who participated but there are no losers, there are no winners in ZANU PF, we need to get together as a team, what we call Team ZANU PF,” he said.

He said the opening up of the party to include diverse groups had seen the coming on board of youths, women and other people which is a demonstration of its generational succession trajectory.

“As a result, we have seen new faces and young people, women and all sorts of people coming on board as councillors in the local authorities or as Members of Parliament in the National Assembly.

“We now have young people coming and joining which, like what the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology says, is the party’s success in motion.

“There is no question to say what will happen in the next 10 to 15 years. The young people are there who are being groomed,” he said.

The young must however learn from those with experience who have gone before them as there is so much to benefit from, he said.

Bimha said all their candidates will have a story to tell of the projects that have been done under the Second Republic.

Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology principal Munyaradzi Machacha said the workshop demonstrates that ZANU PF is an organised party, with a known vision for the future.

“We are the only party that puts into its development plans the generational succession issue so that as our older generation retires it is replaced by the youthful crop of leaders, but those leaders need to be given the correct ideology of the party,” he said.

Machacha said the youth need to be taught the party’s politics, culture, policies and programs so that when leadership positions are handed over, the young people are well prepared to run the country responsibly and take it forward in terms of development.

“That is the plan of generational succession in motion,” he said.

Gokwe – Sesame aspiring candidate Madron Matiza said the ideology being imparted to them would spur them to victory as it is all inclusive.

He applauded the party’s youth policy which had seen a number of youths including himself, getting an opportunity to stand in this year’s elections.

New Ziana