…insinuates that VP Chiwenga will lose against Opposition
…as Masvingo remains adamant on ED 2030 mantra
By Brighton Chiseva
MASVINGO – Zanu PF national deputy secretary for youth affairs who is also Gutu West legislator John Paradza has said the revolutionary party will not allow the winds of change sweeping across Southern Africa to blow in Zimbabwe, saying they will safeguard Zanu PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule at whatever cost.
Paradza was speaking during the party’s Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting held at the party stand in Clovely in Masvingo recently.
He said no one will succeed Mnangagwa without the incumbent’s blessing so people needed to safeguard the party to avoid what happened in Botswana and Zambia.
“If we voted for a President in 2023, we have to follow him until he willingly says he is stepping down. Do you think there is someone who would come and replace President Mnangagwa without getting his blessing first? How will that happen?
“So let’s fix the Zanu PF party, we don’t want a repeat of what happened in Botswana and Zambia to happen in Zimbabwe. As a province we should remain focused, if we look at some of you, you don’t have grassroot supporters but you want to divide people,” said Paradza.
Zambia and Botswana saw the election of opposition parties marking a waterloo to the revolutionary parties’ control of Southern African countries.
In South Africa the revolutionary party ANC had to form a coalition with major rivals, the DA, after failing to secure majority vote, with a similar situation still causing unrest in Mozambique where the ruling party Frelimo failed to secure a landslide.
Despite President Emerson Mnangagwa’s repeated assurances that he will step down in 2028 at the end of his constitutional term, Paradza said that will not stop them from pushing for the extension of his rule saying anyone against that risks being expelled from the party.
“Everyone who is here is where he or she is because of someone, so what we are discussing here can be fulfilled whilst you are not there. If we see that you are no longer toeing the line we can sit aside and discuss then fire you.
“We follow President Mnangwagwa whether the constitution is there or not, because some would want to hide behind the constitution. Let’s wait for him to say I am going then we ask how we are going to proceed,” said Paradza.
He said they were supporting him because of the vision which he has to fulfil despite the constitutional restriction.
“When we say 2030 he will be there we are talking about his vision because it’s him who was shown the vision by God so we want to follow him with his vision. We hear some of you saying we don’t want so and so, how can we not want that person when all of us were given the posts by him.
“You will be shocked when the President leaves, I will be ahead supporting his successor and you will be surprised, it’s all about loyalty to the party,” said Paradza.
Masvingo party leadership has reignited debate by endorsing a slogan urging Mnangagwa to seek a third term in office saying they started with the slogan and no one was going to stop them.
Speaking at the same meeting, provincial chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa said people were misleading others saying the slogan was banned whereas all the 10 provinces endorsed the resolution that Mnangagwa should go beyond 2028.
“We have a resolution that I have to share with you because it applies across board. I hear the 2030 resolution being distorted by some who have not understood it. All executives agreed in Bulawayo and all the 10 provinces agreed that since the President proposed the 2030 vision, we want him to continue as Zanu PF secretary and President until 2030.
“This resolution was read by Secretary for Legal affairs as it was. All the 10 provincial chairpersons agreed to it. So I wonder when we come back here some are saying there is one resolution that was dismissed simply because Cde Chinamasa read the procedure. What he said was just the procedure but the resolution had already been passed,” said Mavhenyengwa.
Mavhenyengwa went on to say there were others who were doing the slogan but behind their back they were having caucuses dismissing it and said those who were against it should go to other provinces because the majority of Masvingo was agreeing to it.
“We have some who do slogan saying 2030 VaMnangagwa vanenge vachitonga but behind the scenes they do caucuses. So we are saying as Masvingo Province, we started this resolution and we will continue with it. Other provinces joined later so we cannot be found stammering on a resolution that we started,” said Mavhenyengwa.
The newly appointed Minister of State Security who is also a politburo member Lovemore Matuke said Masvingo will not be deterred from the slogan by others whom he said were against Mnangagwa’s term extension.
“The 2030 issue should not be a subject for debate, it’s about loving the President and if one loves the President I don’t see any reason why we should be debating about this. We as Masvingo will not stop the 2030 slogan. If the President says he does not want then it becomes our wish for him to continue up to 2030.
“It’s not like we want him because he is Shumba but because there are some projects that we have seen with our own eyes. It’s not about who is leading but about how we can take our country forward,” said Matuke.
He said those who were against the slogan should not put forward names of other people to lead and dared anyone who was against the slogan or Mnangagwa to come out in the open than maneuvering from behind.
“Anyone can aspire to lead as long as he is not insane so don’t put a queue behind our President, no sun will rise while the other is still shining. If you don’t want the slogan why are you talking about other names that we are hearing? Who told you that the one you want will stand and not the other one.
“Don’t justify the issue of slogan saying we are doing an unapproved slogan, how many have we done that were not approved. Tikati nyika inovakwa nevene vayo yakatenderanwa mupolitiburo? (Was the mantra a country is built by its people approved by the politburo?),”said Matuke.
This comes amidst alleged factional tensions in the province, where sources are saying Bikita District has already declared its support for Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to succeed Mnangagwa where retired Major General Engelbert is allegedly leading the faction.
Mavhenyengwa was elected to the post of provincial chair reportedly using the Chiwenga faction but is alleged to have already jumped ship and is now in the Mnangagwa faction.
