Mugabe says no short cut to leadership

THERE is no short cut to leadership of the people and Zanu-PF has no room for those who divert from the party's principles to fulfill self-serving interests, President Mugabe has said.

He said the Zanu-PF ideology and principles remain supreme and it does not matter how long one has walked with the President.

President Mugabe said this while addressing thousands of party supporters who converged at the Zanu-PF headquarters to show him solidarity following disturbances that occurred during the Bulawayo Presidential Youth Interface Rally on Saturday.

His remarks were directed at former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was accused of sponsoring the disturbances for factional ends.

He said the party's leadership was reaching the twilight of its political career but it should leave a clear and plausible trajectory for the youths to follow.

President Mugabe warned that short cuts to leadership were littered with challenges and obstacles.

"We have always said for us leaders we are about to go, it is the youth who must be the leaders," said President Mugabe.

"When the youths take over they will be looking to see how we did things in this long journey, and then it will be the way they will go.

"We the leaders must do things the right way not like those that do things the right way during the day but at night they deviate from the right path. That's what we don't want. I doesn't matter you were with the President, It doesn't you were close to the President who invited you to join the party and you travelled the whole journey together.

"Youths must be carefull. The journey is long, there is no short cut.  There is no short cut to be the leader of the people just like there was no short cut to our independence. We had to walk the long walk."

President Mugabe explained that former Vice President Mnangagwa was expelled on the same charges faced by his predecessor, Dr Joice Mujuru.

He said the difference was only that Mnangagwa was faking his love for the President while Dr Mujuru was engaging in witchcraft to wrestle power from the President.

"What is happening is what caused Mai Mujuru's dismissal. It's just that Mai Mujuru was competing with the President that's why she had some creatures which she kept in water," said President Mugabe. "Hers were of a different type and they were supposed to fight in a bucket while tied with a cloth. Mine was supposed to be bitten to death, if it died, Mai Mujuru would have won.

"Now this one didn't have this. 'President is the one who gave me the job'. He lies to people in January to wait for March when he takes over as President. Youths, you must be ready to celebrate in March. Be ready July (Moyo) and others, I am the one taking over. It failed. Then he thought of going to inyanga and apostolic sects prophets and ask when I will die? To find out about the President's death!

"Then he went somewhere where he was told ah don't think about it, you will be the first. So he thought because he was made Vice President before Mphoko, when I go he will be acting President.

"'After that I will the President. The President will carry me to victory'. That's what he thought. Now the President has refused to die. He has refused to leave the post."

In the same breath, President Mugabe denounced those fanning tribalism and regionalism saying such people should be expelled from the party.

He said the liberation struggle was not fought on tribal lines.

Meanwhile, President Mugabe has blasted his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa for sponsoring the disturbances that happened during the 9th Presidential Youth Interface rally in Bulawayo on Saturday to further his narrow- minded ambitions to succeed him.

Some hooligans allegedly hired by Mnangagwa booed First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe while she was addressing the meeting.

President Mugabe yesterday exonerated the party's Bulawayo leadership for what happened last Saturday.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at the party's headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mugabe said everything that happened in Bulawayo was pre-planned to embarrass him and the First Lady.

"So you heard insults. Booing was done everywhere, it was a pre-planned thing. They said they were going to do it. 'When the President arrives there shouldn't be cheers to welcome him. But when I arrive, you then say mudhara achauya, and I respond mudhara achauya, mudhara achauya.

"Ah, power has come nothing is going to change. I don't know sometimes people fail to use the brain because of love for power. You must think, think and ask yourself if you fit in a hole that a rat goes into, or where a tabbit goes. No, it doesn't work like that. The road to leadership is long and arduous. There is no rest. I think you all know the long road we travelled.

"We didn't think of becoming President until we got to Lancaster House. We told ourselves we were fighting for our people, but it emerged some of our aims, discipline, trying to build our party and uplifting our people and said who among us shall lead.

"To some people this does not exist. They think if they are close to the President and share jokes with him, make tea for him, that's it. No I don't do that. We play fair. You can brew nice beer and we get drunk, but the party ideology will stay, and we will not sell it because of beer, No! Or because of a cup of tea, No. We don't sell our country because of bread  or cake. No we don't do that."

President Mugabe said it was shameful that one of his deputies (Mnangagwa) could stoop as low as organising thugs to boo him and the First Lady to further his ambitions.

"He is not small in the party that we can say he is learning party ideology, doing such embarrassing things. Lacking supreme discipline which we should show at the top," said the President.

"People didn't just put us at the top without discipline, behaving like lizards which just run around aimlessly, or like locusts, or frogs that just jump around. We are there because we know what we are doing and people that chose us did so because of our discipline and uniting people in our country Zimbabwe to be what it is today, no matter where we come from, not that those that say those from Mash East, ar those from the Midlands are better, but these don't come from our area. It doesn't matter whether they are Karanga, or Venda. You are not greater than any other people because you belong to a particular province which has prescribed greatness to its people. No. That's why I am saying when the war was fought it wasn't fought so that those from Zvimba can be the leaders, Manicaland will have ordinary people, the Karanga will also be ordinary people. We never fought the war like that."

President Mugabe continued: "We hope to continue with our rallies. Only Harare was left but I want to thank people of Bulawayo. You are not the ones who caused the problem.

"It's us the leaders who were wrong. You had done very well and people had come in their numbers. Bulawayo is not Harare, the population is smaller, but the people came in their numbers. We were very happy.

"We were very happy, very proud of our leadership in Bulawayo but we are sorry we spoilt all the good work that you had done. It was just one person who decided to disorganise.

"You disorganised all of us but we dealt with you and I hope we can deal with others who were conspirators, who were conspirators alongside him. Going forward we are going to do things the right way, it's only Harare that's left"

President Mugabe said the party should work hard to ensure that what happened in Bulawayo would never be repeated.