News / Local
Zapu Golden Jubilee celebrations!
16 Dec 2011 at 07:52hrs | Views
The long awaited ZAPU Golden Jubilee is set to light up Bulawayo at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow [Saturday].
The anniversary celebrations expected to be graced by ANC of South Africa, MPLA of Angola, FRELIMO of Mozambique, SWAPO of Namibia and other liberation movements from Southern Africa are set to kick-off at 9am till late.
The celebrations, which come hard on the heels of the just ended ZANU-PF's 12th Annual People's Conference in Bulawayo and only five days before the National Unity Day, which marks the joining together of PF-ZAPU and ZANU to form present day ZANU-PF on the 22nd of December in 1987, have put Zapu President Dumiso Dabengwa directly in the line of fire as critics condemn claims that this was the original Zapu and would be celebrating 50 years of existence while the current Zapu was only formed three years ago.
Ambassador Cain Mathema, Zanu-PF's deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, this week condemned the anniversary saying it was cheap politicking to get votes in the Matabeleland region.
He said the move was a direct insult to late Zapu founder member and Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo's legacy.
When he addressed journalists at a press conference earlier this month, Dabengwa had said: "We are inviting all political parties in Zimbabwe, particularly those political parties whose leadership was part of ZAPU before they decided to split and form other parties.
They are all invited. All Zimbabweans are invited."
"We don't intend to offend anyone during those celebrations; we are looking forward to a very successful golden Jubilee celebration which will convince the few remaining doubting Thomases that ZAPU means serious business," he added.
Political analysts said, while the celebrations could very well be a campaigning gimmick, Zapu needed to at least win a seat in the next elections to prove its relevance in the country's politics.
Zanu –PF politburo member and former PF- ZAPU member dismissed the golden jubilee as a non event.
"As long as the 1987 Unity Accord still stands, no one can claim to be ZAPU. They (revived ZAPU members) could actually be celebrating the time they broke away from ZANU-PF and not the 50 years they are now talking about," Ndlovu said.
Meanwhile, Methuseli Moyo, ZAPU spokesperson in Bulawayo said preparations for the event were already at an advanced stage with over 20 cattle and a variety of food stuffs to feed the masses having been sourced.
He stressed that the event was not a political conference but celebrations open to anyone interested, while admitting they were strategising ahead of elections.
The anniversary celebrations expected to be graced by ANC of South Africa, MPLA of Angola, FRELIMO of Mozambique, SWAPO of Namibia and other liberation movements from Southern Africa are set to kick-off at 9am till late.
The celebrations, which come hard on the heels of the just ended ZANU-PF's 12th Annual People's Conference in Bulawayo and only five days before the National Unity Day, which marks the joining together of PF-ZAPU and ZANU to form present day ZANU-PF on the 22nd of December in 1987, have put Zapu President Dumiso Dabengwa directly in the line of fire as critics condemn claims that this was the original Zapu and would be celebrating 50 years of existence while the current Zapu was only formed three years ago.
Ambassador Cain Mathema, Zanu-PF's deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, this week condemned the anniversary saying it was cheap politicking to get votes in the Matabeleland region.
He said the move was a direct insult to late Zapu founder member and Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo's legacy.
When he addressed journalists at a press conference earlier this month, Dabengwa had said: "We are inviting all political parties in Zimbabwe, particularly those political parties whose leadership was part of ZAPU before they decided to split and form other parties.
They are all invited. All Zimbabweans are invited."
"We don't intend to offend anyone during those celebrations; we are looking forward to a very successful golden Jubilee celebration which will convince the few remaining doubting Thomases that ZAPU means serious business," he added.
Political analysts said, while the celebrations could very well be a campaigning gimmick, Zapu needed to at least win a seat in the next elections to prove its relevance in the country's politics.
Zanu –PF politburo member and former PF- ZAPU member dismissed the golden jubilee as a non event.
"As long as the 1987 Unity Accord still stands, no one can claim to be ZAPU. They (revived ZAPU members) could actually be celebrating the time they broke away from ZANU-PF and not the 50 years they are now talking about," Ndlovu said.
Meanwhile, Methuseli Moyo, ZAPU spokesperson in Bulawayo said preparations for the event were already at an advanced stage with over 20 cattle and a variety of food stuffs to feed the masses having been sourced.
He stressed that the event was not a political conference but celebrations open to anyone interested, while admitting they were strategising ahead of elections.
Source - Byo24News
