Latest News Editor's Choice


Opinion / Columnist

ZAPU rejuvenates as Congress draw nearer

12 Aug 2016 at 15:55hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe African Peoples Union, (ZAPU) has embarked on leadership renewal ahead of its Congress slated for the 24th to the 27th August 2016 in Bulawayo. This follows the introduction of the Youth quota, the first of it kind by any political party in Zimbabwe, to constitute the next coming National Executive Council.

Asked about the development, the National Deputy Chairperson of the Youth Front, the youth wing of ZAPU, Lovejean Ndlovu expressed gratitude to the party leadership for heading calls by the youth leaders to be considered for senior leadership of the party.

Ndlovu said the party has finally acknowledged the need for leadership renewal across the board in the party in line with the ever evolving socio-political environment and generational changes that have affected the mother party since its inception in 1961.

"It is a vote of confidence in us the young people and it should be commended. The party, as a democratic movement has seen it fit to fuse experience with potential and the result will be a well oiled machine that is synonymous with the demands of the current political and leadership world", said Ndlovu.

Asked if the Youth Front has National Executive material, Ndlovu said there is incredible depth in the ranks of the Youth Front and promised they will forward their best guns to duty. She reiterated that ZAPU was still in the struggle to liberate the Zimbabwean people from the ZANU PF regime through constitutional means; hence the theme of the Congress is Devolution, the ultimate answer for a fairer future, forward with the Revolution.

"The country got rid of the colonial and imperialist powers in 1980, but that did not translate into freedom since a white racist leader was replaced by a black tribal dictator. So ZAPU, having scored a victory against whites in 1980 will do to the current dictator regime what the party did to Rhodesian Front. ZAPU will deliver total freedom to the people of Zimbabwe," said the youth leader.

The Youths are already identifying cadres from their ranks to forward to the next coming National Executive of ZAPU, which will be led by the Party President Dumiso Dabengwa. They are hoping one of their collelgues will land the Vice Presidency which is vacant following the resignation of Ms Emmelia Mkaratirwa. Asked about this, Ndlovu could neither confirm nor deny the expectation but had this to say, "that will be a bonus to us as the youths of ZAPU, but we would love and be happy to have a rallying point and a youth who will lead at the highest level, who will be a centre of attraction to the young voters who lack role models in leadership circles. Congress will decide on that, what is currently in our power is to identify and forward well meaning youth cadres for duty, and we will do just that.

----------
Iphithule Thembani KaMaphosa <iphithule.thembani.kamaphosa@gmail.com

Source - Iphithule Thembani KaMaphosa
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.