Zanu-PF urges Zimbabweans not to resort to violence

Zanu-PF political commissar Savior Kasukuwere has urged Zimbabweans not to resort to violence saying his party was ready to listen to citizens' concerns.

Responding to the current wave of protests against President Robert Mugabe's policies, Kasukuwere said violence would not necessarily achieve the desired results.

"When you resort to violence, it does not build the nation because there may not be any winner at the end of the day. We just need to engage each other and we are ready to listen, so let our children go to school. Do not disturb them in pursuit of personal agendas," Kasukuwere said.

Zimbabweans last week embarked on a national stay away that completely shut down the country demanding, among a litany of other pleas, that Mugabe resigns immediately.

The strike action was the latest in a series of protests of over growing economic hardships blamed on the policies of the 92-year-old leader, who has been in power for 36 years.

The protestors have threatened another shut down this week should the authorities not heed their calls which also include that Mugabe fires all corrupt officials from his government, shelve the plan to introduce bond notes, as well as reversing the ban on basic goods imports.

But Kasukuwere said the demonstrators' demands for Mugabe to relinquish power were tantamount to usurping the nonagenarian's mandate unconstitutionally.

Government on the other hand insists that the protests are not emanating from the suffering masses, blaming instead the British and the French for fomenting the anti-Mugabe campaign.

"We have gathered from our intelligence that there was involvement of western embassies in all these disturbances that have been taking place," Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo told the State-media at the weekend.