News / National
Mugabe, Grace branded cars stinker
24 Jul 2017 at 08:45hrs | Views
ZANU-PF politburo members Sydney Sekeramayi (war veterans' secretary) and Saviour Kasukuwere (political commissar) yesterday said party activists, political hooligans and criminals had resorted to driving in vehicles branded with President Robert Mugabe and First Lady Grace Mugabe's portraits to evade arrest.
Speaking at a Zanu-PF Harare inter-district meeting in Mbare, the politburo members called for the immediate vetting of all branded vehicles to weed out criminal elements hiding behind the First Family's names.
The call came at a time when there is a marked increase in the number of private vehicles branded with Mugabe and his wife's pictures, with opposition supporters describing the proliferation of Zanu-PF-branded vehicles as a strategy to instil fear ahead of next year's general elections.
"You talked about branding. This is true and Cde Sekeramayi, let's not let anyone put pictures of President Mugabe and Amai Mugabe and then avoid paying toll fees and make spike-throwing police run away from them," Kasukuwere said.
"The party will look into that and make sure that those with the party branding are people doing the correct things."
Kasukuwere sent a stern warning to party supporters to avoid engaging in criminal activities in the name of the ruling party, Mugabe and his wife Grace.
Addressing the same meeting, Sekeramayi added: "There are those who are putting First Lady's pictures on their vehicles. Every vehicle with the First Lady's picture must be known at the party's headquarters, (or) the provincial headquarters.
"There are some who are lying and then pretend to be police officers just to steal and mount fake roadblocks. There are others who go to the extent of pretending to be soldiers yet they are not. Please if you see anyone doing that let us know."
The matter was brought up by provincial commissar and Harare South legislator, Shadreck Mashayamombe as part of resolutions from his zone.
He said the majority of people with branded cars were using Mugabe and First Lady Grace's portraits as protection from their nefarious activities.
Among the resolutions, Zanu-PF structures bemoaned the imposition of candidates, law enforcers meddling in Zanu-PF structures, corruption within the party and indiscipline.
Without mentioning names, Kasukuwere apologised for standing by certain candidates in Harare who have turned knives against him.
In 2015, Kasukuwere reportedly bent party rules to ensure Terrence Mukupe won the Harare East primary elections ahead of football administrator Mavis Gumbo. But Mukupe later reportedly swapped camps and turned his back against Kasukuwere.
Their fallout has divided Harare province with another anti-Kasukuwere camp attempting to remove the current chairperson, Charles Tawengwa.
"This issue of letting people without credentials get into the party is very dangerous. In fact, let me say to Harare, I am sorry I let you down, I will never repeat that," he said in reference to Mukupe's issue.
Contacted for comment, Mukupe said: "He (Kasukuwere) should stop being petty and childish. If I were him I'd concentrate on organising elections for a substantive chair for Harare province."
Kasukuwere urged legislators to be disciplined and avoid drawing attention for the wrong reasons, as that may cause the party to lose next year's elections.
"I appeal to MPs to work hard. Some of them have become a nuisance and every day they are attacking government policies, government programmes to satisfy your egoistic intentions. Stop that. This issue of social media that you are playing with will come hard on you."
He also admitted that corruption was rife in the Zanu-PF party.
"There is an issue I want to address here strongly which is that of running the party on corrupt basis where people are bribed to act on some party programmes and we say down with that. Others are using their positions to enrich yourselves corruptly, but we will not accept that nonsense," he said.
Kasukuwere said he had fired the Urban Development Corporation management over corruption and will be replacing them this week.
Speaking at a Zanu-PF Harare inter-district meeting in Mbare, the politburo members called for the immediate vetting of all branded vehicles to weed out criminal elements hiding behind the First Family's names.
The call came at a time when there is a marked increase in the number of private vehicles branded with Mugabe and his wife's pictures, with opposition supporters describing the proliferation of Zanu-PF-branded vehicles as a strategy to instil fear ahead of next year's general elections.
"You talked about branding. This is true and Cde Sekeramayi, let's not let anyone put pictures of President Mugabe and Amai Mugabe and then avoid paying toll fees and make spike-throwing police run away from them," Kasukuwere said.
"The party will look into that and make sure that those with the party branding are people doing the correct things."
Kasukuwere sent a stern warning to party supporters to avoid engaging in criminal activities in the name of the ruling party, Mugabe and his wife Grace.
Addressing the same meeting, Sekeramayi added: "There are those who are putting First Lady's pictures on their vehicles. Every vehicle with the First Lady's picture must be known at the party's headquarters, (or) the provincial headquarters.
"There are some who are lying and then pretend to be police officers just to steal and mount fake roadblocks. There are others who go to the extent of pretending to be soldiers yet they are not. Please if you see anyone doing that let us know."
The matter was brought up by provincial commissar and Harare South legislator, Shadreck Mashayamombe as part of resolutions from his zone.
He said the majority of people with branded cars were using Mugabe and First Lady Grace's portraits as protection from their nefarious activities.
Without mentioning names, Kasukuwere apologised for standing by certain candidates in Harare who have turned knives against him.
In 2015, Kasukuwere reportedly bent party rules to ensure Terrence Mukupe won the Harare East primary elections ahead of football administrator Mavis Gumbo. But Mukupe later reportedly swapped camps and turned his back against Kasukuwere.
Their fallout has divided Harare province with another anti-Kasukuwere camp attempting to remove the current chairperson, Charles Tawengwa.
"This issue of letting people without credentials get into the party is very dangerous. In fact, let me say to Harare, I am sorry I let you down, I will never repeat that," he said in reference to Mukupe's issue.
Contacted for comment, Mukupe said: "He (Kasukuwere) should stop being petty and childish. If I were him I'd concentrate on organising elections for a substantive chair for Harare province."
Kasukuwere urged legislators to be disciplined and avoid drawing attention for the wrong reasons, as that may cause the party to lose next year's elections.
"I appeal to MPs to work hard. Some of them have become a nuisance and every day they are attacking government policies, government programmes to satisfy your egoistic intentions. Stop that. This issue of social media that you are playing with will come hard on you."
He also admitted that corruption was rife in the Zanu-PF party.
"There is an issue I want to address here strongly which is that of running the party on corrupt basis where people are bribed to act on some party programmes and we say down with that. Others are using their positions to enrich yourselves corruptly, but we will not accept that nonsense," he said.
Kasukuwere said he had fired the Urban Development Corporation management over corruption and will be replacing them this week.
Source - newsday
