News / National
'Power belongs to the people, not one very old Mugabe'
26 Mar 2016 at 15:33hrs | Views
FIREBRAND former war veterans' leader, Jabulani Sibanda, has castigated Zanu-PF's strategy to make President Robert Mugabe the centre of power in both the party and government, saying the move ran athwart to the ideals of the liberation struggle.
Sibanda was kicked out of the ruling party and naturally lost his powerful post as the leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) in 2014, after his disparaging remarks that Mugabe's wife, Grace, had staged a "bedroom coup".
Addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club Thursday, where he touched on many issues that he felt had gone wrong in the country, Sibanda said they did not wage a bitter liberation struggle simply to hand over power to an individual.
"We are told in Zanu-PF, the centre of power is the president, we say that is a lie, the gallant fighters from Zipra and Zanla never fought the armed struggle that one person becomes the centre of power," he said.
Sibanda said Zimbabweans were the centre of power and the president was merely an authority appointed by the people to administer the affairs of the country.
He said the setup existing in the ruling party gave birth to dictatorship, a development "that is not going to be allowed in the future political seasons of our country".
Zanu-PF is currently going through a tumultuous season with the warring Team Lacoste and G40 factions battling to succeed Mugabe who has been at the helm for over three decades.
Mugabe turned 92 this February and has vowed to finish his term in 2018, despite his health taking a knock in the last few years, forcing him to make numerous trips to Singapore where he receives top notch medical care.
According to Sibanda, Zanu-PF had lost sight of its founding vision and it is time members jumped ship and started afresh to save the country from total collapse.
"Zanu-PF has lost direction," Sibanda said, "First it was the weevils versus the gamatox, I was not involved.
"Gamatox was removed, and now it is Lacoste versus G40. Once there is no political contentment in a party that is ruling, you can see that we are moving from a disaster to a worse disaster."
He added: "We need a new beginning, a new set up of things that will fight the evils that drowned this nation."
Sibanda is believed to be now part of the Zimbabwe People First, a newly launched party led by former Vice President, Joice Mujuru. He has vowed that he will make sure that Mugabe loses in the 2018 elections.
Sibanda was kicked out of the ruling party and naturally lost his powerful post as the leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) in 2014, after his disparaging remarks that Mugabe's wife, Grace, had staged a "bedroom coup".
Addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club Thursday, where he touched on many issues that he felt had gone wrong in the country, Sibanda said they did not wage a bitter liberation struggle simply to hand over power to an individual.
"We are told in Zanu-PF, the centre of power is the president, we say that is a lie, the gallant fighters from Zipra and Zanla never fought the armed struggle that one person becomes the centre of power," he said.
Sibanda said Zimbabweans were the centre of power and the president was merely an authority appointed by the people to administer the affairs of the country.
He said the setup existing in the ruling party gave birth to dictatorship, a development "that is not going to be allowed in the future political seasons of our country".
Mugabe turned 92 this February and has vowed to finish his term in 2018, despite his health taking a knock in the last few years, forcing him to make numerous trips to Singapore where he receives top notch medical care.
According to Sibanda, Zanu-PF had lost sight of its founding vision and it is time members jumped ship and started afresh to save the country from total collapse.
"Zanu-PF has lost direction," Sibanda said, "First it was the weevils versus the gamatox, I was not involved.
"Gamatox was removed, and now it is Lacoste versus G40. Once there is no political contentment in a party that is ruling, you can see that we are moving from a disaster to a worse disaster."
He added: "We need a new beginning, a new set up of things that will fight the evils that drowned this nation."
Sibanda is believed to be now part of the Zimbabwe People First, a newly launched party led by former Vice President, Joice Mujuru. He has vowed that he will make sure that Mugabe loses in the 2018 elections.
Source - online
