Dr Obert Moses Mpofu
THE trajectory of Zimbabwe’s development will without a doubt be decided by the people of this land. We will decide as well the effort that will be exerted towards getting where we want to be, and rest assured we are almost there.
But as we approach this ideal state of being, of course there are alarmists who would seek to cause chaos, distract us from our goal and create unnecessary diversions. We will not be held at ransom or be held hostage by those without an idea of how our independence was hard-fought and won.
It was a difficult journey and so much was lost along the way. There are some who have a proclivity for being excitable and poking their noses where one should not. The Zanu-PF business is for those within the Party and those who are aligned to the Party.
There is no reason whatsoever why our business should be the business of those who do not have a vested interest in our ways. Our philosophy is one anchored on peace, unity and development.
We have a deep love for Zimbabwe such that we cannot act in any manner that is contrary to the good of our people and our great nation. There is no way Zanu-PF can ever make decisions that will potentially harm our beloved country.
It is unfathomable. What you see are the constant efforts of our detractors and their minions who cannot stand the fact that Zanu-PF still remains popular, close to a half-a-century after independence.
The recipe for Zanu-PF’s success is that which has been elucidated by our President and First Secretary, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, which is that, Zanu-PF is a mass party which has never been separated from the people since its inception and it will remain so for the remainder of its existence. Yes, there is a crisis in that, all our policies tend to be sabotaged by sell-outs acting on behalf of our detractors.
Our tragedy is that all our challenges are manufactured by those who want to see our country lag behind and not prosper. They are still intent on effecting regime change. But they seem to perform dismally in that regard. They have failed at every turn. Our sin is that we have always implemented people-centric polices due to the love for our people.
It is regrettable that the most daring and empowering move we made in our country’s history, taking back our land did not sit well with our detractors.
It is this brave and daring act that drew the ire of our detractors. How dare we take back what was rightfully ours? We were supposed to remain under subjugation and divorced from the very land that was at the centre of our lives. So, when we changed this status quo, we became targets. We have remained as such since then.
Our leaders are under attack, our Party is under siege and our economy has borne the brunt of the machinations of our detractors. Be that as it may, Zanu-PF has remained unflinching and unmoved. We are calm amid the raging storm.
We know who we are, we know our people and have faith and complete trust in them. Now that we did the unthinkable and empowered our people, time and again there are always efforts to destabilise our nation through a barrage of machinations aimed at ensuring that there is total economic collapse.
The intention is to make economic conditions harsh and then hope that our people may revolt against the Government of the day. Again, this approach has failed at every turn.
This is because of the simple reason that, Zimbabweans are not daft, they are fully aware of the love that my Party, Zanu-PF has for its people and have stood firm and have defended the revolutionary gains.
Just like so many times before, we will always find the right solutions to counter whatever negative efforts from our enemies. Our people are to be applauded for they have done the most in these difficult times.
They have stood with us through thick and thin and have ensured that their country does not fall into the wrong hands.
They are not easily swayed to act contrary to what is right. To what end does sowing divisions benefit our nation. There is nothing to be found there. Some illusory fights are not worth giving a moment’s thoughts.
As we are gearing up for the Zanu-PF 21st National People’s Conference to be hosted by Bulawayo Province, I can assure you that we as the Zanu-PF Party remain solid, united and are unmoved in any way. We are charting our path and continuing with our programmes and projects.
Already, accreditation for the delegates to this year’s conference has begun in earnest. We are indeed raring to go. This is the reality and anything else contrary to this is far from the truth.
Our upcoming annual National People’s Conference offers an opportunity for us to introspect, deliberate and come up with resolutions which will be passed on to our implementing agent, the Government.
This is based on the principle of Party supremacy over Government. It is a simple enough principle that means that, it is the ruling Party, Zanu-PF that obtained the mandate from the people to form the Government and rightfully so this Government should implement the Party’s policies and programmes.
We will strive to ensure that during this year’s conference, we come up with resolutions that are robust and will drive our developmental agenda.
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.