EXILED former Zanu PF officials, who were hounded out of the country at the height of the military coup in 2017, have called for an inclusive government to stabilise the ship, saying the present government has no capacity to rescue the country from the current mess.
In an interview yesterday, former Foreign Affairs
minister Walter Mzembi said the new ideas they represented would never die even
if they were in exile.
He also rubbished claims by Zanu PF that G40 elements had
infiltrated ruling party structures by sponsoring candidates for the district
co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections in order to regain lost ground.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu on Monday
claimed that the group was active on the ground and sponsoring their candidates,
adding that the security of the party was on high alert.
Mzembi said an inclusive arrangement was the only viable
option for Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe’s answer lies in the inclusive government, where
you now harness all skills and potential to get better results. We tried it in
2009 and everyone now reminisces of the period, but if you say you won an
election and are, therefore, entitled to benefit with my followers, to benefit
when the country has over 14 million people, four million voters and only two million
voting for you, there is a problem,” he said.
“If I were to meet my brother (President Emmerson)
Mnangagwa, this is the advice I would give him. This is what (the late former
President Robert) Mugabe used to do, bringing his enemies closer. He knew that
in Cabinet there were people who wanted his position, some who did not agree
with him, but people worked,” he added.
On claims they were actively involved in the DCC elections,
Mzembi said: “We advanced an argument with the African National Congress (ANC)
of South Africa, we told them we had a dispute with those people. If you deny
it to the ANC, it always has a way to manifest in DCC. You can deny it and
claim that you vanquished G40, but what would you do if you are approached with
guns, you take cover. But the mobilisation will not take cover, the software of
G40 which is the grassroots will not take cover and it is very much intact. It
is inherent in Zanu PF.”
He said Mnangagwa made a mistake of being vindictive with
the young people in Zanu PF who would “put on their thinking hats” and decided
to please people who aided him to power, hence the challenges he is facing.
Another exiled G40 member, speaking on condition he is not
named, said: “They have G40s in their bedrooms. G40 is the party. Simple! All
the threats against persecuted members and allegations of undermining the party
are far-fetched and childish. The party is very young and the majority are
G40s. It’s evident that the cabal is ignoring the truth.
“Elections anytime within the party, the young will
prevail. Guns don’t win DCC elections. Threats don’t wear party regalia.
Persecution of comrades will not break the determination to reclaim the party
to basics. Restore legitimacy and democracy within the party and all will be
sorted.” Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment