Opinion / Columnist
War vets: submit to Mugabe's commands
15 Jun 2016 at 10:05hrs | Views
On 10 June 2016, President Robert Mugabe raised a very pertinent issue during the ZANU-PF National Consultative Assembly (NCA) when he urged members of the party to desist from parading their dirty linen in the media but resort to using normal party channels for recourse.
It cannot be denied that the party has of late been featured in the media for wrong reasons as senior officials peddled their disgruntlement in the media with the purported hope to character assassinate their perceived political opponents.
President Mugabe specifically mentioned the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans (ZNLWVA) as being culpable.
War veterans have allegedly been feeding several injurious stories in the private media with the following titles headlining the papers of late:
War veterans remain defiant - Dailynews - 15 June 2016
War vets ‘anti-Mugabe plot' exposed -The Standard 12 June 2016
War vets gang up against Mugabe - Newsday 14 June 2016
It's game on: War veterans - NewsDay 13 June 2016
Mphoko faces war vets' guns - Dailynews 13 June
These stories did not in any way edify the vision of the party but sought to discredit it as being saddled by alleged factional and succession wrangles.
This is what the President warned against when he told delegates to the NCA that; "Tinoshanda tirimukati meparty. Mazano ese ese kana paine vatinoti vabve vatinoda kuti vabve pazvigaro, tinenge tirimumusangano kwete kunoti tanana munhandare uko muri vanaani? Tine gwara and vanhu vakatrainwa vasingadi kupinda mugwara rediscipline. Zvinotishamisa, zviri kundishamisa ini kuti trained chaps, well disciplined, who should know kuti tine gwara nediscipline asi vanongoonyoka, vanongoonyoka."
President Mugabe further sensitized members to be wary of the private media's propensity to fan divisions in ZANU-PF, saying; "Honai chipepa chedu ichochi hameno kuti zvimapepa izvozvi hanzi President vakati "I want to crush mawar veterans" tozvicrusher nyangwe neni ndozvicrusherwo? Mochenjera zvimapepa izvozvi zvinoda kurwisanisa vanhu."
As has always been the case, President Mugabe's advice has been forthright and inviolable since it sought to hedge the party against the invasive and divisive tendencies of some media houses that are using their prying skills to set party cadres and wings against one another.
After the President had clearly pronounced himself on this matter, it is disheartening that some war veterans, two days later, were quoted in the private media denouncing senior party officials and declaring a war against them.
A case in point is that of the ZNLWVA Secretary General, Cde Victor Matemadanda, who according to the Dailynews openly defied the President's directive by openly attacking Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.
Cde Matemadanda reportedly told the paper that, "When we said that Mphoko is an accomplished war deserter all along, some people thought we were being unfair to him. Now, it's all in the open and everyone can see him for what he is. We are now officially at war with him, and he has no one to blame but himself. He is going down."
All this vitriol could be interpreted as a slap in the President's face, an act of defiance and insubordination and this will have a negative ripple effect of sending an unpalatable message to the rest of the party membership.
Like the President said, the hallmark of a war veteran is discipline, which is a military badge of honour.
You cannot be disciplined when you defy your superiors.
It is also unpleasing that Cde Matemadanda's statement was echoed by divisive and subversive opposition war veterans such as Parker Chipoyera, who feed on fodder of conflicts in ZANU-PF to ridicule it.
All ZANU-PF members, including Cde Matemadanda and his ilk should heed President Robert Mugabe's words of unity.
The President unmistakably urged unity between party members saying, "Tinoda kubatana, tibatane zvakanaka. Hatingaite musangano unoti uku kune chikwata chema war vet vanoti isu tine zvinangwa zvemusangano zvatinoita tega zvinosungirwa kuteverwa nevanhu. Aiwa gwara rimwe chete, ZANU-PF and ZANU-PF and ZANU-PF alone."
It is not only unproductive but unwise to continue fanning divisions in the party by fuelling divisive stories in the private media.
It is also not advisable for war veterans to tell the NewsDay that they are preparing a response to President Mugabe's directive.
For true soldiers do not question or supposedly challenge a command from their leader.
Continuing to issue statements to the private media will only serve to feed the divisive intent of the detractor mouthpieces who will readily twist the information to suit their regime change designs.
True soldiers do not seek to explain their loyalty to the public, especially through hostile media outlets.
True soldiers simply submit to the directives of their commander.
If asked to jump all they can ask is how high.
For the good of the party, Cde Matemadanda and company should revert to the command line and submit to the orders of their Commander in Chief.
No need for all these private-media driven antics.
---------------
Indrah Zvenyika <indrah.zvenyika@gmail.com
It cannot be denied that the party has of late been featured in the media for wrong reasons as senior officials peddled their disgruntlement in the media with the purported hope to character assassinate their perceived political opponents.
President Mugabe specifically mentioned the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans (ZNLWVA) as being culpable.
War veterans have allegedly been feeding several injurious stories in the private media with the following titles headlining the papers of late:
War veterans remain defiant - Dailynews - 15 June 2016
War vets ‘anti-Mugabe plot' exposed -The Standard 12 June 2016
War vets gang up against Mugabe - Newsday 14 June 2016
It's game on: War veterans - NewsDay 13 June 2016
Mphoko faces war vets' guns - Dailynews 13 June
These stories did not in any way edify the vision of the party but sought to discredit it as being saddled by alleged factional and succession wrangles.
This is what the President warned against when he told delegates to the NCA that; "Tinoshanda tirimukati meparty. Mazano ese ese kana paine vatinoti vabve vatinoda kuti vabve pazvigaro, tinenge tirimumusangano kwete kunoti tanana munhandare uko muri vanaani? Tine gwara and vanhu vakatrainwa vasingadi kupinda mugwara rediscipline. Zvinotishamisa, zviri kundishamisa ini kuti trained chaps, well disciplined, who should know kuti tine gwara nediscipline asi vanongoonyoka, vanongoonyoka."
President Mugabe further sensitized members to be wary of the private media's propensity to fan divisions in ZANU-PF, saying; "Honai chipepa chedu ichochi hameno kuti zvimapepa izvozvi hanzi President vakati "I want to crush mawar veterans" tozvicrusher nyangwe neni ndozvicrusherwo? Mochenjera zvimapepa izvozvi zvinoda kurwisanisa vanhu."
As has always been the case, President Mugabe's advice has been forthright and inviolable since it sought to hedge the party against the invasive and divisive tendencies of some media houses that are using their prying skills to set party cadres and wings against one another.
After the President had clearly pronounced himself on this matter, it is disheartening that some war veterans, two days later, were quoted in the private media denouncing senior party officials and declaring a war against them.
A case in point is that of the ZNLWVA Secretary General, Cde Victor Matemadanda, who according to the Dailynews openly defied the President's directive by openly attacking Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.
Cde Matemadanda reportedly told the paper that, "When we said that Mphoko is an accomplished war deserter all along, some people thought we were being unfair to him. Now, it's all in the open and everyone can see him for what he is. We are now officially at war with him, and he has no one to blame but himself. He is going down."
All this vitriol could be interpreted as a slap in the President's face, an act of defiance and insubordination and this will have a negative ripple effect of sending an unpalatable message to the rest of the party membership.
Like the President said, the hallmark of a war veteran is discipline, which is a military badge of honour.
You cannot be disciplined when you defy your superiors.
It is also unpleasing that Cde Matemadanda's statement was echoed by divisive and subversive opposition war veterans such as Parker Chipoyera, who feed on fodder of conflicts in ZANU-PF to ridicule it.
All ZANU-PF members, including Cde Matemadanda and his ilk should heed President Robert Mugabe's words of unity.
The President unmistakably urged unity between party members saying, "Tinoda kubatana, tibatane zvakanaka. Hatingaite musangano unoti uku kune chikwata chema war vet vanoti isu tine zvinangwa zvemusangano zvatinoita tega zvinosungirwa kuteverwa nevanhu. Aiwa gwara rimwe chete, ZANU-PF and ZANU-PF and ZANU-PF alone."
It is not only unproductive but unwise to continue fanning divisions in the party by fuelling divisive stories in the private media.
It is also not advisable for war veterans to tell the NewsDay that they are preparing a response to President Mugabe's directive.
For true soldiers do not question or supposedly challenge a command from their leader.
Continuing to issue statements to the private media will only serve to feed the divisive intent of the detractor mouthpieces who will readily twist the information to suit their regime change designs.
True soldiers do not seek to explain their loyalty to the public, especially through hostile media outlets.
True soldiers simply submit to the directives of their commander.
If asked to jump all they can ask is how high.
For the good of the party, Cde Matemadanda and company should revert to the command line and submit to the orders of their Commander in Chief.
No need for all these private-media driven antics.
---------------
Indrah Zvenyika <indrah.zvenyika@gmail.com
Source - Indrah Zvenyika
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