'Mugabe is going nowhere,' says Kasukuwere

Zanu-PF Politburo member Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday accused some senior ruling party officials of clandestinely plotting to topple President Mugabe and dared them to come out in the open to challenge him.

Kasukuwere said it was disturbing that a certain group of senior Zanu-PF leaders had been tirelessly working to weaken the party prior to the 2008 harmonised elections when the revolutionary party fared badly due to divisions.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at Bengura primary school in Bikita South during belated celebrations to mark Jappy Jaboon's electoral victory in Bikita South in last year's harmonised polls, Kasukuwere said those secretly plotting to oust the President would be trounced by the veteran leader in any contest.

Kasukuwere, who is the secretary for Indigenisation and Economic Development added his voice to growing calls for President Mugabe to appoint his two deputies.

"There are some senior leaders who think we were not aware of their secret plots to remove President Mugabe from power on baseless grounds that he is old. It is better to have a wise old man as President than to be led by a foolish young person."

He said a leader is not judged by his or her age, but by achievements and programmes that he or she implements to economically uplift the ordinary people.

"To those who are plotting against the President, I declare myself Tyson (Kasukuwere) as the campaign chief of the President and I will stand behind him in any contest. Let those who want to challenge him come out in the open and do so. We will then see who will emerge victorious," he said.

Kasukuwere said President Mugabe got a fresh mandate for his Presidency from Zimbabweans last year and should be allowed to complete his people-oriented programmes that have earned him worldwide acclaim as a defender of the poor.

He said it was worrying that some senior leaders in Zanu-PF wanted to dump President Mugabe after all the sacrifice and hard work he did for Zimbabwe before and after the attainment of independence in 1980.

"It is really painful that President Mugabe, a veteran freedom fighter who sacrificed a lot for Zimbabwe to be where it is today, was humiliated because of the actions of some of colleagues in Zanu-PF and forced to sit down with Mutambara (former Deputy Prime Minister Arthur) and Tsvangirai (former Prime Minister Morgan). He spent sleepless nights talking to these small boys to come up with an inclusive Government after Zanu-PF had performed poorly in the 2008 elections,"' he added.

He blasted some senior Zanu-PF officials for allegedly blocking people-oriented programmes like the indigenisation of foreign companies in return for cash to line up their pockets.

He even said those officials blocked his attempts to indigenise big foreign companies in Masvingo such as sugar producer Tongaat Hullett and Bikita Minerals which produces lithium when he was still Minister of Indigenisation. Kasukuwere said communities in Chiredzi could now be benefiting had his plans to indigenise Tongaat Hulett succeeded.

He vowed to press ahead and ensure that the sugar producer and lithium miner were indigenised to benefit the majority of people in Masvingo.

Speaking at the same event, secretary for Security in the Women's League Shuvai Mahofa called for new elections to choose the Zanu-PF executive in Masvingo alleging that the incumbent led by Retired Brigadier General Callisto Gwanetsa rigged its way into power.

Masvingo war veterans provincial chairman Francis Nando attacked those who were plotting to remove President Mugabe from power saying some of the officials had a known record of rebelling against authority dating back to the liberation struggle. The celebrations were attended by senior Zanu-PF officials in Masvingo among them Politburo member Josaya Hungwe, former Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial chairman Lovemore Matuke, businessman Philip Chiyangwa among others.