Opinion / Columnist
Million Man March: Just the beginning
29 May 2016 at 05:17hrs | Views
Zanu-PF's Million Man March will be held annually alongside provincial rallies aimed at driving youth development and economic empowerment, a ruling party official has said.
The inaugural march on Africa Day, described by party National Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo as "a demonstration of Zanu-PF's force and might" saw hundreds of thousands of people pouring into Harare to show their support for President Mugabe.
That event climaxed with a Presidential address reminiscent of President Mugabe's delivery at Zimbabwe Grounds on his return from Mozambique after the liberation struggle.
And following this thunderous display, the Zanu-PF Youth League wants the march held annually, and countrywide youth empowerment meetings to begin in June 2016.
Youth League Deputy Secretary Kudzai Chipanga told The Sunday Mail, "That Million Man March was just the beginning. We are going to have several gatherings of similar nature. There will be provincial tours in which Cabinet ministers will be invited and asked to explain what they are doing for young people and how youths can benefit from programmes under their portfolios.
"There are various ministries, most of them economic. Therefore, we want each of them to have a youth policy and a youth desk. Young people are Zimbabwe's future, they constitute the majority when it comes to the national population.
"We will take a break and then embark on countrywide tours in two months' time, finishing them before 2016 is out. In 2017, we plan to invite the President to join the Youth League on a tour of all 10 provinces to assess progress on what we would have resolved with the respective ministers."
Chipanga also spoke on the issue of priorities.
"We have realised that some comrades are reluctant (to facilitate development). Who are they? They are (Cabinet) ministers, chief executives, captains of industry. They seem very reluctant when it comes to fighting this (economic) war we are in.
"They are expecting cake in a war, leading us to question their priorities and how they are executing their duties. For instance, while we are complaining about Government not having money, we see ministers every now and then changing vehicles.
"We complain that our local authorities are failing to even repair tarred roads, but the next thing you see is the top brass at Council A buying new vehicles. One wonders why they say there is no money for service delivery when all the money is going to vehicles and other luxuries."
Dr Chombo said the Million Man March was a party programme organised by Zanu-PF's Youth League for the purpose of celebrating President Mugabe's leadership of Zimbabwe, as well as in Sadc and the African Union – bodies that he recently chaired.
"It was really a show of force and demonstration of the support the President enjoys. We are delighted with the party's capacity to mobilise and happy with the level of organisation shown throughout. The march was a demonstration that Zanu-PF is well, alive, vibrant and well-geared for 2018."
The inaugural march on Africa Day, described by party National Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo as "a demonstration of Zanu-PF's force and might" saw hundreds of thousands of people pouring into Harare to show their support for President Mugabe.
That event climaxed with a Presidential address reminiscent of President Mugabe's delivery at Zimbabwe Grounds on his return from Mozambique after the liberation struggle.
And following this thunderous display, the Zanu-PF Youth League wants the march held annually, and countrywide youth empowerment meetings to begin in June 2016.
Youth League Deputy Secretary Kudzai Chipanga told The Sunday Mail, "That Million Man March was just the beginning. We are going to have several gatherings of similar nature. There will be provincial tours in which Cabinet ministers will be invited and asked to explain what they are doing for young people and how youths can benefit from programmes under their portfolios.
"There are various ministries, most of them economic. Therefore, we want each of them to have a youth policy and a youth desk. Young people are Zimbabwe's future, they constitute the majority when it comes to the national population.
"We will take a break and then embark on countrywide tours in two months' time, finishing them before 2016 is out. In 2017, we plan to invite the President to join the Youth League on a tour of all 10 provinces to assess progress on what we would have resolved with the respective ministers."
Chipanga also spoke on the issue of priorities.
"We have realised that some comrades are reluctant (to facilitate development). Who are they? They are (Cabinet) ministers, chief executives, captains of industry. They seem very reluctant when it comes to fighting this (economic) war we are in.
"They are expecting cake in a war, leading us to question their priorities and how they are executing their duties. For instance, while we are complaining about Government not having money, we see ministers every now and then changing vehicles.
"We complain that our local authorities are failing to even repair tarred roads, but the next thing you see is the top brass at Council A buying new vehicles. One wonders why they say there is no money for service delivery when all the money is going to vehicles and other luxuries."
Dr Chombo said the Million Man March was a party programme organised by Zanu-PF's Youth League for the purpose of celebrating President Mugabe's leadership of Zimbabwe, as well as in Sadc and the African Union – bodies that he recently chaired.
"It was really a show of force and demonstration of the support the President enjoys. We are delighted with the party's capacity to mobilise and happy with the level of organisation shown throughout. The march was a demonstration that Zanu-PF is well, alive, vibrant and well-geared for 2018."
Source - sundamail
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