Opinion / Columnist
No bad blood between President and war vets
17 May 2016 at 08:44hrs | Views
Amidst the flimsily internal squabbles in ZANU PF, President Robert Mugabe's speech in Gutu, Masvingo last Friday became a directive for unity and cohesion in the party.
President Mugabe rebuked indiscipline in all party structures, particularly the war veterans and the youths, who were allegedly caught mudslinging and quarrelling over a number of issues recently.
In his speech, the President urged all parties to practice restraint and reminded them that they all have mutually important roles that contribute to the wellbeing of the party.
To the youths, President Mugabe said, "Youth League irambe iri Youth League yakabatana; kwete Youth League yekuda kurwisana nevakuru. Ungaita ruzivo rwekuti takabva kupi iwe wakazvarwa 20 years ago? Hazvibatsiri izvozvo."
He similarly told war veterans that; "Mawar veterans, tinovarumbidza zvikuru. Asi anosungirwa kuva mawar veterans anosimbaradza musangano; vanoti takarwira nyikaka, vauye mukati mevazhinji vashandire party nekuti ndizvo zvatakarwiraka. Party yatora zvino; kwamakabva mukasiya."
These are words of wisdom directed at unifying all members of the party, to bring them together and make them realize that the party is larger that individuals and they all have equally essential roles to keep the party alive.
It is, however, puzzling that some media outlets had the temerity to mischievously try and squeeze some opposition political mileage out of such words of unity.
The Standard of 15 May 2016 and the NewsDay of 14 May 2016, carried stories respectively headlined ‘Mugabe vs war vets: the danger of making leader little gods' and ‘Shape up or ship out, Mugabe tells war vets', which sought to depict the President as allegedly taking sides with the youths to fight war veterans.
The President is wrongfully cast as downplaying the role of war veterans in the party while commending the youths as torch bearers.
This is a clear case of twisting facts to achieve some underhand political connotations.
Given the fact that the private media has been on the forefront of stoking flames of division in ZANU PF, it is not surprising that they are not amenable to any proposition aimed at fortifying unity in the party.
The private papers have proved that they are prophets of doom, who always see a wishful dark side of ZANU PF.
These papers have anchored their sales on unremittingly spewing stories that vilifies ZANU PF and the person of the President.
It is no wonder that Tangai Chipangura, the writer of the Standard story, went into detail, sarcastically laughing at war veterans and condemning them for supposedly deifying President Mugabe and making him irreproachable.
Chipangura laughs at the former freedom fighters, claiming that they supposedly created a monster that is now haunting them.
In his warped political view, Chipangura believes that President Mugabe's unifying speech in Gutu was actually a mockery of the war veterans.
This is where he lost it.
Like any political leader, President Mugabe is entitled to deal with any disharmony gripping his party.
In this case, he advised both the war veterans and youths to stop their wrangling and concentrate on safeguarding the interests of the party.
The President did not only target the former freedom fighters but also warned the youths.
He was condemning the general indiscipline threatening to tear the party apart and urging unity.
Against a backdrop where ZANU PF is set to hold its million men march and flex its muscle of unity, the negative reportage from the private media should be understood as a desperate measure to scuttle the march by driving a wedge between the President and war veterans, and also between the latter and youths.
These detractor media outlets know that the march would bring all party wings together and are therefore at pains trying to put such plans asunder hence the negative coverage of the party.
But the war veterans would not be hoodwinked by such media reports, especially as they have just emerged from an extra-ordinary conference where they demonstrated their loyalty to the President.
For the record, the former fighters are loyal to President Mugabe as their patron, who is spearheading programmes to improve their welfare and those of their families.
The President has nothing but great respect for war veterans as seen by his creation of a fully independent ministry to cater for their needs.
So, for anyone to dream or imagine that there is bad blood between the President and the former fighters would be a plain waste of energy.
President Mugabe rebuked indiscipline in all party structures, particularly the war veterans and the youths, who were allegedly caught mudslinging and quarrelling over a number of issues recently.
In his speech, the President urged all parties to practice restraint and reminded them that they all have mutually important roles that contribute to the wellbeing of the party.
To the youths, President Mugabe said, "Youth League irambe iri Youth League yakabatana; kwete Youth League yekuda kurwisana nevakuru. Ungaita ruzivo rwekuti takabva kupi iwe wakazvarwa 20 years ago? Hazvibatsiri izvozvo."
He similarly told war veterans that; "Mawar veterans, tinovarumbidza zvikuru. Asi anosungirwa kuva mawar veterans anosimbaradza musangano; vanoti takarwira nyikaka, vauye mukati mevazhinji vashandire party nekuti ndizvo zvatakarwiraka. Party yatora zvino; kwamakabva mukasiya."
These are words of wisdom directed at unifying all members of the party, to bring them together and make them realize that the party is larger that individuals and they all have equally essential roles to keep the party alive.
It is, however, puzzling that some media outlets had the temerity to mischievously try and squeeze some opposition political mileage out of such words of unity.
The Standard of 15 May 2016 and the NewsDay of 14 May 2016, carried stories respectively headlined ‘Mugabe vs war vets: the danger of making leader little gods' and ‘Shape up or ship out, Mugabe tells war vets', which sought to depict the President as allegedly taking sides with the youths to fight war veterans.
The President is wrongfully cast as downplaying the role of war veterans in the party while commending the youths as torch bearers.
This is a clear case of twisting facts to achieve some underhand political connotations.
Given the fact that the private media has been on the forefront of stoking flames of division in ZANU PF, it is not surprising that they are not amenable to any proposition aimed at fortifying unity in the party.
The private papers have proved that they are prophets of doom, who always see a wishful dark side of ZANU PF.
These papers have anchored their sales on unremittingly spewing stories that vilifies ZANU PF and the person of the President.
It is no wonder that Tangai Chipangura, the writer of the Standard story, went into detail, sarcastically laughing at war veterans and condemning them for supposedly deifying President Mugabe and making him irreproachable.
Chipangura laughs at the former freedom fighters, claiming that they supposedly created a monster that is now haunting them.
In his warped political view, Chipangura believes that President Mugabe's unifying speech in Gutu was actually a mockery of the war veterans.
This is where he lost it.
Like any political leader, President Mugabe is entitled to deal with any disharmony gripping his party.
In this case, he advised both the war veterans and youths to stop their wrangling and concentrate on safeguarding the interests of the party.
The President did not only target the former freedom fighters but also warned the youths.
He was condemning the general indiscipline threatening to tear the party apart and urging unity.
Against a backdrop where ZANU PF is set to hold its million men march and flex its muscle of unity, the negative reportage from the private media should be understood as a desperate measure to scuttle the march by driving a wedge between the President and war veterans, and also between the latter and youths.
These detractor media outlets know that the march would bring all party wings together and are therefore at pains trying to put such plans asunder hence the negative coverage of the party.
But the war veterans would not be hoodwinked by such media reports, especially as they have just emerged from an extra-ordinary conference where they demonstrated their loyalty to the President.
For the record, the former fighters are loyal to President Mugabe as their patron, who is spearheading programmes to improve their welfare and those of their families.
The President has nothing but great respect for war veterans as seen by his creation of a fully independent ministry to cater for their needs.
So, for anyone to dream or imagine that there is bad blood between the President and the former fighters would be a plain waste of energy.
Source - Gwinyai Mutongi
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