ZANU PF urged to lead fight against poverty

Harare (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday called on the ruling Zanu PF party to take a leading role in mobilizing grassroot communities to prepare for the forthcoming summer cropping season and embrace all efforts to eradicate poverty.

Addressing the party’s Politburo meeting in Harare, he said communities should more and more leverage on home grown climate smart agriculture programmes and projects for food security, and poverty alleviation.

The southern African region has been predicted to suffer drought in the forthcoming farming season, which starts next month.

“The party, working with our grassroots communities and stakeholders in the agriculture sector, must promote the uptake of seed varieties and crops that suit our country’s different agro-ecological regions,” he said. “The promotion of our traditional grains in drought prone regions is key. Our revolution to sustain the already attained household and national food security and sovereignty will never stop ”

He urged the ruling party to uphold unity between the party and the government, as the party’s creation, as only unity of purpose at every level will ensure the country achieves its national development goals, such as Vision 2030.

The leadership must, therefore, go back to the people and complement development programmes and projects undertaken by various government ministries and local authorities. They must also ensure promises made to the people in last month’s general elections become tangible, and visible on the ground, he said.

“We are a party and government whose leadership is accountable to the people. The party and politburo must, therefore, continue to stand ready to provide the requisite ideological guidance and leadership to government,” President Mnangagwa said.

He said he had appointed a cabinet he believed would accelerate the government’s modernisation and industrialization drive to ensure broad-based development that left no one and no place behind.

He thanked party supporters for the resounding election victory last month, and said now focus must move to consolidating the gains realized through the implementation of pro-people development projects and programmes across the country.

“I thank our grassroots membership across wards, districts, and provinces, who in their numbers, voted for our revolutionary party, ZANU (PF), my candidature as president and that of our members of the National Assembly as well as those local authorities,” he said.

President Mnangagwa reserved special praise for Mashonaland Central for sweeping all National Assembly seats, including in urban areas where the party has struggled everywhere else.

The province also garnered the most presidential votes.

“Going forward, we must go back to every cell/village, branch, district and provinces, to express our appreciation of the people’s vote. Our people, through the traditional leaders, chiefs, headmen, and village heads, must be commended for maintaining unity, peace and love for one another as well as our country, Zimbabwe. This must remain the hallmark of our revolutionary mass party,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said feedback processes must include engagement and research to determine what the party must improve in areas where ZANU PF performed poorly.

Before the start of the session, the politburo observed a minute of silence in honour of national hero, Joshua Teke Malinga who was buried at the National Heroes Acre earlier on Friday.

New Ziana