Thursday, August 28, 2014

Zanu-PF Youths to Brief President Mugabe
ZANU-PF Youth League militants at a conference recently.
August 29, 2014
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

MEMBERS of the Zanu-PF Youth League are mobilising to give President Mugabe a resounding welcome from his state visit to China and will take the opportunity to brief him on all that transpired in his absence upon his arrival at Harare International Airport on Sunday.

This comes amid reports that some Zanu-PF provincial committees want youth leaders who supported the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe to assume the position of National Secretary for Women’s Affairs to be expelled from the party and have started “disciplinary” procedures against them.

The youth leaders say they are also being victimised for refusing to chant a controversial slogan which puts other members of the Presidium at par with the party’s First Secretary and President.

The purges have started with Harare and Mashonaland West where some of the youth leaders are being summoned to appear before disciplinary committees on charges insiders described as “frivolous”.

Youth leaders from other provinces said they were not being victimised, but were aware of the situation.

Speaking to The Herald yesterday, Zanu-PF Harare Provincial Youth League chairman, Cde Godwin Gomwe, said youths would take that opportunity to brief the President on all political developments that took place while he was away.

“In light of these developments, the Zanu-PF Harare Youth League will spearhead the mobilisation of all youths to be on hand to receive the President when he touches down in Harare on Sunday. As the Youth Chairman of the capital city, I will be coordinating with colleagues from other provinces to ensure a befitting welcome for our hero and President who has once again done the nation proud.

“This will give us an opportunity to provide a brief to His Excellency on the political developments that have been transpiring whilst he was away. As is well known, the Zanu-PF Youth is the vanguard of the party and stands ready to defend and preserve our hard won independence,” Cde Gomwe said.

He said in the wake of the MDC-T’s crushing defeat last year, and subsequent implosion the Westerners had turned to destabilising Zanu-PF from within.

“We have information that the machinations of the West towards their regime change agenda have changed their strategy and now seek to effect regime change from within Zanu-PF.

‘’The West recognises that the MDC formations, in their treacherous colours are now a spent force and are therefore trying to destabilise His Excellency President Mugabe by using internal saboteurs. This is part of what happened during our just ended Youth Conference.”

Internecine fighting in Zanu-PF came to a head over the past week manifest in the assault of deputy youth chairman for Harare province, Cde Edison Takataka in the presence of Politburo member Cde Tendai Savanhu in Mbare on Sunday.

Cde Takataka was accused of organising some youths that attended the Women’s League meeting in Mazowe early this month that endorsed the First Lady Amai Mugabe’s candidature to take over the league’s leadership during the party’s congress in December.

In Mashonaland West province, youth leader Cde Vengai Musengi is reportedly being victmised for doing the same, while there were foiled maneuvers to oust Cde Gomwe.

There was also a war of words among Harare provincial leaders pitting chairman Cde Amos Midzi and Politburo member Cde Cleveria Chizema, the most senior Politburo member in Harare, while party national chairman Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo, gagged all party officials from speaking to the media on party issues.

Cde Gomwe lauded President Mugabe for the deals he clinched on behalf of the country during his ongoing State visit to China.

“It is very uplifting to note that Cde Mugabe was accorded the highest possible honour ever accorded to a visiting Head of State in China.

It is also notable that His Excellency was given a 21 gun salute as well as a fly past. All the organs of the Chinese defence and security forces saluted the President,” Cde Gomwe said.

Cde Gomwe said the deals would see massive investments from China in infrastructural development projects.

“It is with great pleasure that the Zanu-PF Youth League in Harare wishes to extend its gratitude and congratulations to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who is also the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF on the manner in which he has been received and the victories he has scored for Zim Asset on his trip to China,” Cde Gomwe said.

Some of the deals agreed during President Mugabe’s visit include funding agreements and feasibility studies of power projects, road dualisation and railway line construction, telecommunications, agriculture and tourism.

A memorandum of understanding for feasibility studies on the digitalisation of the national broadcaster ZBC and Transmedia ahead of the June 2015 International Telecommunications Union deadline after which all broadcasters should have switched to digital.

The Chinese also extended a $24 million grant for the construction of infrastructure that includes schools and clinics in resettlement areas.

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