'Tsvangirai urged Mangoma attack'

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has accused MDC-T leader and former coalition partner, Morgan Tsvangirai of unleashing "drunk" party youths on senior party officials who have called for the former premier's resignation.

Mugabe was addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters, among them children in school uniform, during celebrations to mark his 90th birthday in Marondera Sunday afternoon.

MDC-T deputy treasurer general, Elton Mangoma and secretary general Tendai Biti were last weekend beaten up by angry youths who cordoned off the entrance to the party's Harare headquarters to mete out instant justice over the pair's alleged attempt to dethrone Tsvangirai.

Of the two, Mangoma emerged worse off while Biti survived by launching himself into Tsvangirai's waiting Mercedes Benz.

Other marked party officials delayed their exit and were later rescued by police. The officials were emerging from a meeting which Tsvangirai had called for the MDC-T's district chairpersons.

Speaking publicly for the first time about the MDC-T skirmishes, President Mugabe chided the MDC-T youths for the cheek to discipline their elders, behaviour he said was strange in his Zanu-PF.

"You have read about violence at the headquarters of Tsvangirai's party. Mayouth achirova maleaders avo. Fungai; just think of that!" Mugabe said.

"Our youths and their leaders stand in the same analogous manner as children and parents. You don't raise your hand to hit your senior; never, ever! You may quarrel but the best you can do is to go and complain about your senior if your senior is wronging you.

"But for you kuti ubudise chibhakera … wadhakwa nedoro kani? Asi vanogara vakadhakwa mayouth ekwa Tsvangirai?"

"So you can see the trained, disciplined and experienced youth yedu, their behaviour and contrasted with the behaviour of the hooligans that Tsvangirai is running and iye pachake ndiye akati kumayouth tsva! Varovei ogonyarara - ochema nevarikurohwa kuti ah tineurombo, tinehurombo iwe uriwe wavasaidzira."

Tsvangirai has distanced himself from the assaults while promising an internal probe into the matter.

Mugabe said the violence within the rival party made them unsuitable to hold public office, let alone govern the country.

"... We cannot have a party of that nature coming into government, even to have seats, to dominate possession of parliamentary seats in our urban areas. That's wrong," he said.

President Mugabe then turned on his own party officials who have jostled to control provincial structures, key to the simmering Zanu-PF succession battle.

"The chairpersons of our provinces, provincial councils are the leaders of the province; not members of the politburo, not members of the central committee. That has to be learnt, and understood by members of the politburo and central committee who are over ambitious," he said.

Mugabe told party hawks to be content with being senior members of the party.

Although he did not mention names, Mugabe's remarks were apparently aimed at Vice President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who control two powerful Zanu-PF factions fiercely trying to take control of the liberation movement in anticipation of Mugabe's exit from the scene.