Mliswa hits out at opposition mentality

NORTON legislator Mr Temba Mliswa has criticised opposition political parties and academics who shun Government programmes, saying such an attitude was retrogressive. Addressing members of the University of Zimbabwe Creative Writing Press Club last Friday, Mr Mliswa said opposition political parties and some academics needed to distinguish between party politics and national programmes meant to benefit all citizens.

"I get very concerned when l see some people shunning Government programmes. And l see academics, I see people with emotion, (they say) don't get a house because it's ZANU-PF, don't get land because it's ZANU-PF, don't get mining claims because it's ZANU-PF. So if Government does not provide that, who then is going to provide?" asked Mr Mliswa. He said there was need to separate political programmes undertaken by a political party and national programmes undertaken by Government. Most young people, he said, missed out on empowerment opportunities initiated by Government because they perceived the initiatives as promoting the ruling party's agenda.

The outspoken Norton legislator was speaking as a co-guest presenter alongside Highfield National Assembly member Psychology Maziwisa. In his presentation, Maziwisa urged the youths to take advantage of various Government programmes to actively participate in national affairs. He said Government had laid the framework, through the National Youth Council and the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, for youths to initiate various projects meant to benefit the nation. Maziwisa said youths should emulate President Mugabe's resoluteness in standing firm in defence of the country's sovereignty and resources despite ostracisation by some Western countries that were sponsoring regime change in the country.

"The choice is yours, either to go the patriotic way or belong to that group of people who have become surrogates of Western interests," Maziwisa said. The UZ Creative Writing Press Club was set up in 2015 by students who were undertaking the English Honours degree programme.