THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) supports ZANU-PF’s decision to hold an Extraordinary Congress in December and give President Mugabe the ticket to represent the party in next year’s elections.
The announcement follows the decision by the party’s provinces to endorse President Mugabe’s candidature for next year’s elections as well as the proposal to hold an extraordinary congress.
Bulawayo provincial chairperson Cde Cephas Ncube who was flanked by his counterparts, Cde Sonny Mguni of Matabeleland North and Cde Section Ncube of Matabeleland South announced that they support the decision to hold an extraordinary congress and they have confidence in President Mugabe’s leadership.
“We are members of Zanu-PF and we are not leaving Zanu-PF. We want to quash claims that we have left the party and are joining other parties. We are aware that there were Provincial Executive Committee and Provincial Coordinating Committees meeting to discuss the agenda of the Extraordinary Congress. As veterans of the liberation struggle we want to make it clear that we have no argument with that as long as the agenda remains straight forward to endorse Cde Mugabe as the presidential candidate,” said Cde Ncube.
He said war veterans were also in support of calls to amend the party’s constitution to accommodate the appointment of a female Vice President.
Cde Ncube said as former freedom fighters they are however concerned that the party had been too quick to amend the constitution.
“We also support the appointment of female vice president in the party. But the women quota system issue was there in the party before the constitution was amended. We amended the party’s constitution and we are amending it again. People should stop using the party’s constitution to serve their interests. Even the President respects the constitution and has always called for the people to follow the party’s constitution,” said Cde Ncube.
Cde Ncube said war veterans are ready to work with the war veterans Minister Cde Cain Mathema.
Cde Mathema replaced Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube as Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees minister following last week’s Cabinet reshuffle.
Meanwhile The Herald reports that Zanu-PF Midlands Province yesterday re-affirmed support for President Mugabe’s candidature in next year’s harmonised elections and resolved that the revolutionary party hold an Extraordinary Congress to confirm the position that has been unanimously adopted by the party’s other nine provinces.
In an interview, Zanu-PF Midlands provincal chairperson Cde Daniel Mackenzie Ncube confirmed the resolutions yesterday following a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting held on Sunday.
“We had our meeting and the main resolution we made was to request the party that an Extraordinary Congress be held this year to re-affirm President Mugabe as the sole candidate for the party in the 2018 harmonised elections and also show solidarity with the President who is also the First Secretary of the party,” Cde Ncube said.
He added that they had also discussed the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise with calls to enhance awareness among party supporters to register to vote in next year’s elections.
The resolution by Midlands follows similar resolutions that were made by the revolutionary party’s provinces across the country to confirm President Mugabe as their candidate for next year’s elections.
There were also calls to amend the party’s constitution to reflect a resolution by the party’s Women’s League to have a female Vice President.
The Extraordinary Congress will replace the Annual National People’s Conference that was scheduled to be held in Gwanda in December. The regular congress was due to be held in 2019.
Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Harare, Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North provinces also affirmed the First Secretary, President Mugabe, as the ruling party’s candidate on Saturday and Sunday. Chronicle
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