News / National
'Senior Zanu-PF members promote factionalism,' says Mugabe
13 Dec 2013 at 06:24hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday attacked senior Zanu-PF members who promote factionalism and act in ways that divide the people, saying the party will not tolerate that.
Addressing an Ordinary Session of the Central Committee here yesterday, Mugabe also said the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), the party's five-year economic plan, must work for national development.
"Let us remember the liberation struggle," the President said at the Chinhoyi University of Technology Great Hall ahead of the official opening of the 14th Annual National People's Conference today.
He added: "There was that unity between those in front and those at the back, some politically supporting the struggle and in their own way. That is why we emerged victorious. The principle we learnt must continue to govern us; that those in front must depend on those in the grassroots. We are leaders because there are people who support us, good leaders of course. Let us be with our people. They, in the end decide who will lead them and who will not".
Mugabe said members of the Central Committee and the Politburo must remember that it is the people who choose leaders and every one of them matters.
"You can't therefore say these people are mine, these are that one's. That is the thinking that causes factionalism. That must go. We can't build a united party when we divide people into camps. The people belong to the party, they are not my people. They are part of an organic entity to which I belong and all of them matter."
The President called for unity particularly in Mashonaland West Province.
"We are here in Mashonaland West, we say congratulations to Temba Mliswa (the new provincial chairman). Don't pursue the policy that these are my people, these are (Dr Ignatius) Chombo's, these are Webster Shamu's.
"Sit down with the leaders and talk them into accepting the togetherness that you are leaders together. You have won, let them support you and those who lost talk to them, let them support you. Tomorrow will be someone's turn. I am singling out Mashonaland West because we are in Mashonaland West," said President Mugabe.
He said some party members were attacking others through the Internet but told them that authorities now have the technology to find out who and where the malicious attacks originated.
Mugabe urged party leaders not to obstruct junior members and also spoke against imposition of leaders. He lauded the party for scoring a huge victory in the July harmonised elections.
"The best thing we have done this year was to be united against the creature called the inclusive government and MDC without using any violence. You saw what happened, just the vote, no obstructing people. People were allowed to vote but we were united across all provinces. The provinces of disunity are the urban ones, Bulawayo and Harare," said President Mugabe.
Harare Province did better this term, winning six seats out of 26, but Bulawayo still had a problem, said the President.
"Bulawayo, no, no, no! Try, try, try until you succeed. There is in Bulawayo, some disease of discriminating against others. Bulawayo belongs to the people of Bulawayo regardless of race, tribe and religion. Don't look at the type of the person and you will see results coming in your favour. We have to sit down and assist but the rural provinces did well. I want to say congratulations," he said.
The resounding Zanu-PF victory, he said, was not achieved over MDC but the British and Americans who finance them.
He attacked the two Western countries for rejecting the results of the elections.
Turning to Zim Asset, the President said party leaders must acquaint themselves with it and its underlying principle that the resources in the country belonged to indigenous Zimbabweans.
He warned that companies, particularly in the mining sector that are resisting the indigenisation programme risk losing their assets.
"Zim Asset must work," said President Mugabe.
"There are companies that are said to be resisting the 51-49 application. The Ministry of Mining will do an inventory and those resisting will lose their hold on our minerals. If they don't comply hapana zvekumboswera kutamba, we want our wealth to enrich us. Let's continue to monitor from a party point of view, the progress and see at the end of the day that what we are doing is reducing poverty among our people."
Zim Asset, he said, cannot succeed if it fails to appreciate the principle of majority local shareholding by indigenous Zimbabweans of the economy. He criticised the capitalist theory that recognises the supremacy of capital over resources saying western funding cannot be more valuable than the natural resources.
"The theory that your tools are worth more than our valuable natural resources is unacceptable. By the way you can construct some implements to replace others but you cannot grow gold, you cannot grow diamonds, coal, and chromium, platinum. The processes are geological. They (western investment) can be planes put together but they cannot be more valuable than our soil," said President Mugabe.
The President said the choice of venue for this year's conference was apt as the first battle between Rhodesian forces and liberation war soldiers was fought near Chinhoyi. The place is the site where the provincial heroes' acre for Mashonaland West is.
A minute of silence was observed at the start of the Central Committee meeting in honour of nine national heroes, 180 liberation war heroes and 66 liberation heroes who passed away between this conference and last year's.
President Mugabe urged indigenous Zimbabweans to not only expect to invest in existing companies, but set up their own, a strategy which he said was more effective than the former.
He said the operations of illegal gold panners must be regulated to enable the economy to benefit more from their production which he said is generally smuggled into South Africa.
"Let's improve the security around our minerals to prevent smuggling," said President Mugabe.
"We have small planes landing at secret locations in some parts of the country. Tingaita nyika inongomharwa tisingazivi (we cannot have planes landing and flying away undetected)."
President Mugabe said the economy must get more returns from platinum and other minerals, adding that Essar, the new investor in Ziscosteel, should be on the ground soon. The Government, he said, must consolidate its ownership of Shabanie and Mashaba Mines.
The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, said the President, needs to be more vigilant in monitoring what is happening in the diamond mining sector.
Addressing an Ordinary Session of the Central Committee here yesterday, Mugabe also said the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), the party's five-year economic plan, must work for national development.
"Let us remember the liberation struggle," the President said at the Chinhoyi University of Technology Great Hall ahead of the official opening of the 14th Annual National People's Conference today.
He added: "There was that unity between those in front and those at the back, some politically supporting the struggle and in their own way. That is why we emerged victorious. The principle we learnt must continue to govern us; that those in front must depend on those in the grassroots. We are leaders because there are people who support us, good leaders of course. Let us be with our people. They, in the end decide who will lead them and who will not".
Mugabe said members of the Central Committee and the Politburo must remember that it is the people who choose leaders and every one of them matters.
"You can't therefore say these people are mine, these are that one's. That is the thinking that causes factionalism. That must go. We can't build a united party when we divide people into camps. The people belong to the party, they are not my people. They are part of an organic entity to which I belong and all of them matter."
The President called for unity particularly in Mashonaland West Province.
"We are here in Mashonaland West, we say congratulations to Temba Mliswa (the new provincial chairman). Don't pursue the policy that these are my people, these are (Dr Ignatius) Chombo's, these are Webster Shamu's.
"Sit down with the leaders and talk them into accepting the togetherness that you are leaders together. You have won, let them support you and those who lost talk to them, let them support you. Tomorrow will be someone's turn. I am singling out Mashonaland West because we are in Mashonaland West," said President Mugabe.
He said some party members were attacking others through the Internet but told them that authorities now have the technology to find out who and where the malicious attacks originated.
Mugabe urged party leaders not to obstruct junior members and also spoke against imposition of leaders. He lauded the party for scoring a huge victory in the July harmonised elections.
"The best thing we have done this year was to be united against the creature called the inclusive government and MDC without using any violence. You saw what happened, just the vote, no obstructing people. People were allowed to vote but we were united across all provinces. The provinces of disunity are the urban ones, Bulawayo and Harare," said President Mugabe.
Harare Province did better this term, winning six seats out of 26, but Bulawayo still had a problem, said the President.
"Bulawayo, no, no, no! Try, try, try until you succeed. There is in Bulawayo, some disease of discriminating against others. Bulawayo belongs to the people of Bulawayo regardless of race, tribe and religion. Don't look at the type of the person and you will see results coming in your favour. We have to sit down and assist but the rural provinces did well. I want to say congratulations," he said.
The resounding Zanu-PF victory, he said, was not achieved over MDC but the British and Americans who finance them.
Turning to Zim Asset, the President said party leaders must acquaint themselves with it and its underlying principle that the resources in the country belonged to indigenous Zimbabweans.
He warned that companies, particularly in the mining sector that are resisting the indigenisation programme risk losing their assets.
"Zim Asset must work," said President Mugabe.
"There are companies that are said to be resisting the 51-49 application. The Ministry of Mining will do an inventory and those resisting will lose their hold on our minerals. If they don't comply hapana zvekumboswera kutamba, we want our wealth to enrich us. Let's continue to monitor from a party point of view, the progress and see at the end of the day that what we are doing is reducing poverty among our people."
Zim Asset, he said, cannot succeed if it fails to appreciate the principle of majority local shareholding by indigenous Zimbabweans of the economy. He criticised the capitalist theory that recognises the supremacy of capital over resources saying western funding cannot be more valuable than the natural resources.
"The theory that your tools are worth more than our valuable natural resources is unacceptable. By the way you can construct some implements to replace others but you cannot grow gold, you cannot grow diamonds, coal, and chromium, platinum. The processes are geological. They (western investment) can be planes put together but they cannot be more valuable than our soil," said President Mugabe.
The President said the choice of venue for this year's conference was apt as the first battle between Rhodesian forces and liberation war soldiers was fought near Chinhoyi. The place is the site where the provincial heroes' acre for Mashonaland West is.
A minute of silence was observed at the start of the Central Committee meeting in honour of nine national heroes, 180 liberation war heroes and 66 liberation heroes who passed away between this conference and last year's.
President Mugabe urged indigenous Zimbabweans to not only expect to invest in existing companies, but set up their own, a strategy which he said was more effective than the former.
He said the operations of illegal gold panners must be regulated to enable the economy to benefit more from their production which he said is generally smuggled into South Africa.
"Let's improve the security around our minerals to prevent smuggling," said President Mugabe.
"We have small planes landing at secret locations in some parts of the country. Tingaita nyika inongomharwa tisingazivi (we cannot have planes landing and flying away undetected)."
President Mugabe said the economy must get more returns from platinum and other minerals, adding that Essar, the new investor in Ziscosteel, should be on the ground soon. The Government, he said, must consolidate its ownership of Shabanie and Mashaba Mines.
The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, said the President, needs to be more vigilant in monitoring what is happening in the diamond mining sector.
Source - chronicle
