News / National
Zanu-PF okays anti-Mnangagwa demo
24 Apr 2016 at 17:36hrs | Views
Attempts by war veterans aligned to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to sabotage next month's planned "million-man march" against the Midlands godfather by Zanu-PF youths associated with the governing party's ambitious Young Turks, the Generation 40 (G40), are dead in the water.
The party has now officially moved to direct all its organs and followers to support the controversial march that the youths claim is to show solidarity with President Robert Mugabe, but which Mnangagwa's allies say is targeted at the beleaguered VP.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the youths should report to the party's leadership all the war veterans and other members who are said to be working feverishly to sabotage the planned demonstration, so that action could be taken against them.
This followed reports that ex-combatants and some party bigwigs in a number of provinces were working hard to derail the march — in what G40 insiders claim was an attempt at repeating what the VP's allies allegedly did in the run-up to the 21st February Movement celebrations in Masvingo last February.
"Zanu-PF and all its wings fully support the youth league and if they are encountering any problems, they know where to go.
"We have provincial leadership and they should take their problems there and they will be sufficiently dealt with because the party is backing their programme. They are a wing of the party and while they are responsible for organising the march we have a mandate to give them our backing," Khaya Moyo said.
A fuming women's league treasurer, Sarah Mahoka, also warned Team Lacoste — as the Mnangagwa camp is referred to — that they would fail "dismally in their machinations".
"They should know better that the women and the youths are in the majority, not only in Zanu-PF, but in the country as a whole, so they are the ones who will fall.
"We are making it clear again that where the president is concerned, there is no going back. We are his shield and we are mobilising to ensure that we send a message to all that the man is well-protected.
"You will see when the day comes as we will prove once again that the youths are the vanguard of the party, and that with the women's league support, they will not fail in their mandate," Mahoka told the Daily News on Sunday.
Manicaland Zanu-PF youth deputy secretary for information and publicity, Passionate Dandajena, revealed in an interview with the Daily News on Sunday's sister paper, the Daily News, on Friday that Team Lacoste ex-combatants were working hard to derail the march.
"Our efforts to fundraise for the march are being frustrated by a group of war veterans led by Comrade (war veterans leader Christopher) Mutsvangwa. But we will not be derailed and will achieve our mission in spite of their opposition," Dandajena said.
She said unlike previously, when the youths had only approached individuals and ministers that they felt were willing to support their programmes, this time they were approaching "everyone" — a move she said would also "expose" those who were against the march.
"We are approaching everyone and this will expose those who either run away from their offices when we approach them or find other funny excuses to refuse us help. There are many senior officials who always try to avoid supporting the youth league here," Dandajena charged.
Another regional youth official was even more blunt, naming Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa, Water minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Agriculture minister Joseph Made as being among the bigwigs who were allegedly opposed to the march.
"Muchinguri leads this group and Chinamasa appears to be even busier than the president himself," the youth league official who declined to be named for fear of victimisation said.
Made was not picking his phone yesterday, while Muchinguri-Kashiri was unreachable. Chinamasa, who said he was caught up in meetings, promised to return the Daily News on Sunday's call later, but had not done so at the time of going to Press.
"The million-man march is meant to offer support for the leadership of ...Mugabe and not to decampaign any individual. Some MPs are also not showing solidarity because they feel the march will be targeted at them, which is not the case at all," Dandajena said when pressed to shed more light on the march.
She said they had budgeted $50 000 to transport almost 100 000 party officials from across the province to Harare for the march. They had also set up a committee to lead their fundraising efforts, which would include dinners and musical concerts.
Meanwhile, the youth league leaders in Harare said all was on track for the march in the capital, which is coming at a time that the governing party is experiencing arguably its worst ever internal ructions since it came to power in 1980.
Youth League national deputy secretary, Kudzanai Chipanga, said his executive would be heading to Mashonaland West yesterday to mobilise support for the marches, to show their backing for Mugabe.
"After our visit to Mashonaland West and Harare on Sunday (today), we are heading to Midlands mid next week, before heading to Matabeleland North and South next weekend.
"You must remember that since we got rid of those elements that were fuelling factionalism within the youth league who include the likes of Godfrey Tsenengamu and others on suspension, there has been unity of purpose, so everyone is determined to show their support for the president.
"We have a mandate as the youth league to protect the president from both internal and external threats, so it is all systems go, although we are yet to come up with an exact date," Chipanga said.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba was not available for comment to shed light on whether law enforcement agencies would clear the march.
But Chipanga was emphatic that this would not be a problem once the league formally advised authorities about their intentions.
"Once we agree on the exact dates, we will advise the police for clearance. What we have agreed on at the moment is that we will March in May, most likely in the first two weeks of the month, so we thought it would be prudent to approach the police only when we have the actual date," Chipanga added.
Zanu-PF insiders who have previously spoken to the Daily News have said the march will be punctuated by anti-Mnangagwa slogans, as well as placards denouncing his supposed key allies such as prominent war veterans Mutsvangwa and Victor Matemadanda.
"The march will put Team Lacoste in its proper place because the numbers will prove that the group has no support. Even in their supposed stronghold of Masvingo, more than 5 000 youths will participate in the march and those who thought that Mnangagwa had support will be put to shame because some of his supposed staunch supporters there will be with us," a Zanu-PF women's league official said.
The party has now officially moved to direct all its organs and followers to support the controversial march that the youths claim is to show solidarity with President Robert Mugabe, but which Mnangagwa's allies say is targeted at the beleaguered VP.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the youths should report to the party's leadership all the war veterans and other members who are said to be working feverishly to sabotage the planned demonstration, so that action could be taken against them.
This followed reports that ex-combatants and some party bigwigs in a number of provinces were working hard to derail the march — in what G40 insiders claim was an attempt at repeating what the VP's allies allegedly did in the run-up to the 21st February Movement celebrations in Masvingo last February.
"Zanu-PF and all its wings fully support the youth league and if they are encountering any problems, they know where to go.
"We have provincial leadership and they should take their problems there and they will be sufficiently dealt with because the party is backing their programme. They are a wing of the party and while they are responsible for organising the march we have a mandate to give them our backing," Khaya Moyo said.
A fuming women's league treasurer, Sarah Mahoka, also warned Team Lacoste — as the Mnangagwa camp is referred to — that they would fail "dismally in their machinations".
"They should know better that the women and the youths are in the majority, not only in Zanu-PF, but in the country as a whole, so they are the ones who will fall.
"We are making it clear again that where the president is concerned, there is no going back. We are his shield and we are mobilising to ensure that we send a message to all that the man is well-protected.
"You will see when the day comes as we will prove once again that the youths are the vanguard of the party, and that with the women's league support, they will not fail in their mandate," Mahoka told the Daily News on Sunday.
Manicaland Zanu-PF youth deputy secretary for information and publicity, Passionate Dandajena, revealed in an interview with the Daily News on Sunday's sister paper, the Daily News, on Friday that Team Lacoste ex-combatants were working hard to derail the march.
"Our efforts to fundraise for the march are being frustrated by a group of war veterans led by Comrade (war veterans leader Christopher) Mutsvangwa. But we will not be derailed and will achieve our mission in spite of their opposition," Dandajena said.
She said unlike previously, when the youths had only approached individuals and ministers that they felt were willing to support their programmes, this time they were approaching "everyone" — a move she said would also "expose" those who were against the march.
"We are approaching everyone and this will expose those who either run away from their offices when we approach them or find other funny excuses to refuse us help. There are many senior officials who always try to avoid supporting the youth league here," Dandajena charged.
"Muchinguri leads this group and Chinamasa appears to be even busier than the president himself," the youth league official who declined to be named for fear of victimisation said.
Made was not picking his phone yesterday, while Muchinguri-Kashiri was unreachable. Chinamasa, who said he was caught up in meetings, promised to return the Daily News on Sunday's call later, but had not done so at the time of going to Press.
"The million-man march is meant to offer support for the leadership of ...Mugabe and not to decampaign any individual. Some MPs are also not showing solidarity because they feel the march will be targeted at them, which is not the case at all," Dandajena said when pressed to shed more light on the march.
She said they had budgeted $50 000 to transport almost 100 000 party officials from across the province to Harare for the march. They had also set up a committee to lead their fundraising efforts, which would include dinners and musical concerts.
Meanwhile, the youth league leaders in Harare said all was on track for the march in the capital, which is coming at a time that the governing party is experiencing arguably its worst ever internal ructions since it came to power in 1980.
Youth League national deputy secretary, Kudzanai Chipanga, said his executive would be heading to Mashonaland West yesterday to mobilise support for the marches, to show their backing for Mugabe.
"After our visit to Mashonaland West and Harare on Sunday (today), we are heading to Midlands mid next week, before heading to Matabeleland North and South next weekend.
"You must remember that since we got rid of those elements that were fuelling factionalism within the youth league who include the likes of Godfrey Tsenengamu and others on suspension, there has been unity of purpose, so everyone is determined to show their support for the president.
"We have a mandate as the youth league to protect the president from both internal and external threats, so it is all systems go, although we are yet to come up with an exact date," Chipanga said.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba was not available for comment to shed light on whether law enforcement agencies would clear the march.
But Chipanga was emphatic that this would not be a problem once the league formally advised authorities about their intentions.
"Once we agree on the exact dates, we will advise the police for clearance. What we have agreed on at the moment is that we will March in May, most likely in the first two weeks of the month, so we thought it would be prudent to approach the police only when we have the actual date," Chipanga added.
Zanu-PF insiders who have previously spoken to the Daily News have said the march will be punctuated by anti-Mnangagwa slogans, as well as placards denouncing his supposed key allies such as prominent war veterans Mutsvangwa and Victor Matemadanda.
"The march will put Team Lacoste in its proper place because the numbers will prove that the group has no support. Even in their supposed stronghold of Masvingo, more than 5 000 youths will participate in the march and those who thought that Mnangagwa had support will be put to shame because some of his supposed staunch supporters there will be with us," a Zanu-PF women's league official said.
Source - dailynews
