Zanu-PF tells members yo respect traditional leaders

Zanu-PF party members in Masvingo have been urged to respect traditional leaders and the role they play in communities as the custodians of the country's cultural norms and values.

Provincial chair Ezra Chadzamira said traditional leaders played a crucial role in making sure there was peace and harmony within rural communities where there majority of people live.

He was addressing Zanu-PF members during a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting at Victoria Primary School in Masvingo on Saturday.

Chadzamira urged ruling party young cadres to respect their elders.

"As Zanu-PF, we respect our traditional leaders who are very important people within the communities that we live by virtue of them being the custodians of our cultural values and norms which form the backbone of a stable nation," said Chadzamira.

"We must give enough respect to these (traditional) leaders because of the critical role they play in our society.

"However, it is disturbing to note that in some cases the level of respect that we give our traditional leaders is not of expected level, which creates a wrong impression about the place of traditional leaders within our society," he said.

Chadzamira urged ruling party youths to be exemplary and disciplined while continuing to toe the party line.

"The revolutionary party has always been preaching strong messages to the young generation on the importance of respecting their elders.

"Furthermore, youths should make wise choices at all levels in order to avoid regrettable decisions in the future."

The Zanu-PF Masvingo chair warned youths against drug abuse and said they should instead focus on exploiting opportunities that economically transform their lives.

He assured ruling party members that Zanu-PF would continue to come up with programmes that engender socio-economic development in rural areas.

He said the recently unveiled manifesto of the revolutionary party was testament to how the party prioritises development in rural communities.

Chadzamira hailed the Zanu-PF Government for the ongoing drive to develop irrigation schemes countrywide through exploiting idle water bodies, which he said showed that the ruling party was people-oriented.

The Zanu-PF chair blasted other local opposition parties such as the MDC-T, which he said was a "fantasy" political grouping whose policies were far divorced from the wishes and aspirations of the common people.

He called for unity within Zanu-PF in Masvingo, saying the major task confronting the ruling party was to campaign vigorously and ensure a landslide victory for President Mnangagwa and the revolutionary party in the forthcoming harmonised elections.