The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
ZANU-PF leaders in Matabeleland region have added their voice in denouncing factionalism in the party, calling for party supporters to shun divisions and embrace unity.Speaking at a Zanu-PF Matabeleland North induction workshop at Elangeni Training Institute in Bulawayo yesterday, Zanu-PF national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, challenged leaders of the said factions in the party to shape up or ship out of the revolutionary party.
Cde Moyo, who is also the Senior Minister of State in the President’s Office, and was the guest of honour at the two-day workshop which ends today, said Zanu-PF’s constitution had no provision for divisive elements.
These remarks come on the back of President Mugabe’s recent scathing attack on elements in the party bent on dividing the establishment.
Cde Moyo urged party members to fight hard against divisions, which he said should be nipped in the bud before they tear the party apart.
“We must fight very hard against factionalism. I often hear people say they belong to such such a faction, they belong to so and so in the party. That is wrong. No one owns anyone in the party. All I know is that we all belong to God.
“Everyone belongs to the party and we should all work towards building unity. The key is unity, unity and unity. You will recall my message in Chinhoyi last December at our National People’s Conference that as a revolutionary party we must assiduously continue to fight against imposition of candidates in any election at every level, factionalism and corruption.
“Factionalism has affected the party before by splitting the vote, thus it should be nipped in the bud,” he said.
Cde Moyo said Zanu-PF leaders should shun divisions and instead focus on fulfilling the expectations of Zimbabweans as espoused by the party’s manifesto in last year’s election.
“Our focus should be to fulfil the expectations of our people as enunciated in our last year’s election manifesto through the implementation of our economic blueprint — Zim Asset.
“The clusters of Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Reduction Infrastructure and Utilities as well as Value Addition and Beneficiation must now be the nerve and artery of our political life,” said Cde Moyo.
The Zanu-PF national chairman also commended the party’s leadership and supporters in Matabeleland North province for their improved performance in last year’s election.
He said although the province seemed to have fewer parliamentary seats compared to other provinces, it had improved a great deal from the 2008 elections.
“Let me take this time to congratulate Matabeleland North for your performance in the previous election. Yes it might seem like you did not do too well compared to other provinces, but you must not despair, you did well.
“In 2008 you had far less seats than the ones you won last year and that marks a great improvement. You must be congratulated for that,” he said.
Cde Moyo also commended the province for organising the induction workshop, which he said was a great step in strengthening the party’s structures.
Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Zanu-PF Politburo, Dr Obert Mpofu, also took a swipe at elements in the party who were bent on dividing the party’s followers.
He encouraged Zanu-PF members and leaders in Matabeleland region not to take part in the factional fights saying the region did not stand to benefit from the fights as there was no one in the region eyeing the Presidential seat.
“If you are bent on causing divisions you are an embarrassment to the party. We know that there are people among us who don’t have the party’s interests at heart and are furthering personal objectives.
“These people are power hungry and are the ones causing factionalism in the party. We should be wary of them. These people draw us back as a party and we will lose if such people continue their divisive tendencies.
“People of Matabeleland will not benefit anything from these fights. No one from the province is eyeing the presidency and as a region we recognise and know that there are protocols, procedures and hierarchy that should be followed.
“The best we can do is to land the second Vice President post,” he said.
The induction workshop covered such aspects as the state of the party, its performances and challenges since 2008, the party’s ideology, principles, policies, concepts and strategies and appreciation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) among other elements.
In attendance on the first day of the workshop were Member of the House of Assembly for Nkayi North and the Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises Cde Sithembiso Nyoni, Speaker of the House of Assembly Cde Jacob Mudenda and Matabeleland North provincial chairperson Cde Richard Moyo, among other guests.
