'I am not above the party,' says Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe says Zanu-PF does not tolerate disobedience and all those who impose themselves on the electorate as candidates.

Addressing thousands of party supporters outside Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo on Thursday afternoon, President Mugabe said it doesn't matter how much money or support one has or how much work he or she has done in the community, that person should follow the party's rules.

"No one is greater than the party, even the president is not greater than the party, he also follows the party's rules. So we are saying don't accept all disobedient candidates who impose themselves on you while defying their party," said President Mugabe.

Mugabe's remarks come after some Zanu-PF officials, among them Dr Munyaradzi Kereke and Marian Chombo, were expelled from the party for standing as independent candidates in the forthcoming harmonised elections despite being told that they don't meet the party's nomination criteria.

President Mugabe added that next Wednesday's election will give the electorate a chance to vote out dishonest MDC officials in the government of national unity.

He said the MDC formations have no substance as they rely on their western sponsors for policy direction.

"The MDC's ideology is not their own and this is what differentiates us from them. Even during the GPA negotiations, they kept on consulting what they called their people. I would say the facilitator, Mr Thabo Mbeki has patience that surpasses that of Job in the Bible, for managing to eventually broker a pact between us and the MDC," said Mugabe.

Mugabe said the inclusive government failed to deliver any meaningful development as some MDC-T officials kept on insisting that there is no money.

He said: "They kept on saying there is no money to support farmers, no money for everything, even money to pay farmers who had delivered their grain to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). So we are saying for any development to take place, vote these people out. Let us return to a people-centred government of Zanu-PF."

The President added that it is surprising that the MDC is promising to create more jobs basing on the support of western donors and not indigenisation, adding that jobs can be created through the indigenisation of the economy.

He said it would be meaningless as a country to boast of a high gross domestic product (GDP) when the indigenous people do not own the means of production such as land and mineral resources.

On drought stricken provinces such as Masvingo and Matabeleland, Mugabe said they will soon get a reprieve following the government's procurement of maize grain from Zambia.

He bemoaned transport problems that are hindering the delivery of the purchased maize, but said efforts are underway to address the anomaly.