Vice-President
Constantino Chiwenga, who is battling efforts to sideline him in the race to
succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been on a war path against people
that he says are flaunting unexplained wealthy.
Chiwenga last
month told the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce congress in Victoria Falls
that the country was witnessing a worrying culture of people who are
increasingly becoming wealth with no known businesses.
In February he
described such businesspeople as zvigananda, Shona word for blood sucking
ticks.
Chiwenga’s
statement was seen as a direct attack on controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell
Chivayo, who claims to have close ties to Mnangagwa.
Samuel
Parirenyatwa, secretary-general Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans
Association, said the former fighters will not remain quite about the growing
influence of the businesspeople buying positions in the party.
“We went
through hell during the war to liberate this land,” Parirenyatwa told The
Standard.
We fought with
and for the masses of Zimbabwe, not a few individuals. We are aware of the
spirited efforts by the zvigananda to infiltrate and take over the party.
“This is doomed
to fail. Zanu PF’s ideology is people centred and is meant to protect the
masses from these zvigananda.”
He said the
former liberation war fighters were alarmed that Zanu PF was now being used as
a conduit to rob the masses.
“We get
extremely worried to notice our party being used as a conduit to rob the people
from the gains of their independence,” Parirenyatwa.
“Sons and
daughters of this land lost their lives, were maimed, and went through hell to
bring about this independence being abused by a few individuals.
“What is most
worrisome is splashing of huge amounts of money for luxuries by the zvigananda
in a national economy, which is failing to take care of the sick.”
Mnangagwa took
Zanu PF members that attended the ruling party’s national assembly on Friday by
surprise when he chanted the slogan: Pasi ne zviganada (Down with zviganandas).
Most of the
wealthy businesspeople that joined Zanu PF after the coup that toppled Robert
Mugabe are believed to be backing a faction that wants Mnangagwa to remain in
power until 2030. Standard
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