Mugabe warns Zanu-PF factionalists

Individualists and factionalists have no place in the Zanu-PF Government, and people should respect the leadership appointed at the party's 2014 National People's Congress, President Mugabe said yesterday.

Addressing hundreds of Zanu-PF supporters at the Harare International Airport on his return from the 26th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Mugabe warned those denigrating his appointees that they would soon fall by the wayside.

The President, whose one-year tenure as AU chairman ended over the weekend when he handed the baton to Chad's President Idriss Déby, said those with eccentric thoughts should repent, drive the Zanu-PF empowerment agenda in peace or risk being chucked out.

"Zvehumbimbindoga tombokanda pasi, zvemafactions tombozvisvipira pasi," he said. "Our youths should not be used and misled. They should always remember that it is the will of the people which should lead us, for us to push forward our resolutions and targets we give ourselves at the congresses.

"If we unite, women on this hand and the youths on the other hand, we will achieve our goals. Zvino tikavamba nyaya yezvibhakera vamwe varikurovana apa, vamwe varikutukana nepapa, hapasisina rukudzo, tinongotuka, nevakuru vanongonyombwa. What have we done? We do not want that!"

He added: "We need unity in the country, province by province. Not to have a province which says we stand for this and our leaders are so and so. There are no other leaders other than the ones we were given by the Central Committee. Leaders are chosen at the Congress, that is where we drop those we do not need."

President Mugabe, whose address centred on unity, said while differences existed "here and there", in the end people should be guided by the country's principles and resolutions. "We want to correct each other to pull in the right direction," he said. "If ideas are different, people do sit down and share thoughts and choose the best idea to push forward our developmental agenda.

"Kwete kuti zvandofunga izvozvo ndezvangu chete hapana anondibvisa panapa. Zimbabwe has principles and resolutions; this is what has taken us this far. Since time immemorial, we were united, yes there were differences and those on the wrong fell by the wayside."

President Mugabe took time to brief party supporters on the deliberations of Heads of State and Government at the AU Summit, with emphasis on value addition and beneficiation of raw materials and the need to reform the United Nations Security Council.

"We are obliged to reform our way of doing things," he said. "It should not just be farming and mining only, we need to establish industries. We should stop exporting raw materials before refining them. If it is cotton, it means they should come and buy clothes from us.

"Where we are not able to do that, we get into partnership with progressive countries like India and China and others then we manufacture those things we buy outside."

Value addition and beneficiation, the President said, created employment, added knowledge to locals and resulted in the realisation of high rewards. He said the Western world still had the slavery mentality and did not want to see the development of any black society. President Mugabe said the West wanted to remain on top of the situation and was now using non-governmental organisations to achieve regime change in independent countries.

"In Harlem (United States), they (blacks) are suffering, diseases and murderers are galore," he said. "Right now they are coming with regime change, wanting to remove elected governments. In Africa, NGOs have flooded the continent and here (Zimbabwe) alone they are more than 3 000. When they want to come they should be guided by our laws."

The President said African nations were equal and they should assist each other in times of need. He said peace was vital for development and countries should always work together in tackling any crisis.

"Ukanzwa nzara ikoko, inzara yanguwo kuno," he said. "Hurwere hwako ndehwanguwo, hwanguwo ndehwako. For us to achieve this in our countries, we need peace. No contention and fights. (We do not want) those who come outside (like) Boko Haram, Al -Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, we should assist each other to stop these terrorists.

"The same applies to diseases; we should do it the way we tackled Ebola. We united to ensure countries affected live and work freely." President Mugabe cherished the standing ovations and thunderous applause he received from Heads of State and Government when he opened the Summit on Saturday saying: "Zimbabwe had been put on top."

On the inequality in the UN Security Council, President Mugabe reiterated that it was time African countries got permanent seats with veto powers or the continent pulls out of the United Nations.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the US are the only veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council. China and Russia have been open to discussing reforms, as have emerging powers like India and Brazil who also want seats on the Security Council.

President Mugabe was welcomed by his two deputies, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, several Government ministers and service chiefs on his arrival from Ethiopia.