Vice-President and Zanu PF second secretary, Constantino Chiwenga, yesterday bravely rode a barrage of hostilities at the party’s annual people’s conference in Mutare, calling out corruption as a vice that has affected Zimbabwe.
Chiwenga has
been under attack for constantly calling out corruption in the country,
denouncing and identifying several individuals he labelled zvigananda accusing
them of feeding off the trough while the majority of Zimbabweans were
suffering.
The former army
general reportedly produced a dossier to the Zanu PF politburo identifying
several individuals as being corrupt and calling for their immediate arrest.
He has,
however, faced hostilities in recent weeks, including an attack from the
party’s national secretary for legal affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi in a rebuttal
document presented to the politburo on Wednesday this week.
Party national
spokesperson and presidential aspirant Christopher Mutsvangwa also upped the
ante in the attack against Chiwenga during a presser held at the part
headquarters in Harare on Thursday this week.
However, citing
the conference’s theme this year Attainment of Vision 2030 Through Economic
Empowerment and Value Addition, the Vice-President said it captures the central
task before the party to build a people-centred economy that empowers every
Zimbabwean. He said this should also ensure that the national wealth benefits
all, not just a privileged few.
“Economic
empowerment must be genuine — equipping all our people with the means to
produce, innovate and own their destiny. That is the essence of Vision 2030 and
that is the essence of revolutionary continuity,” Chiwenga said.
“We must always
remember that we are not the alpha and the omega of Zimbabwe’s journey.
“Ours is to
carry forward the torch passed to us by those who gave everything without
expectation of reward.
“Some of them,
like the late General Josiah Magama Tongogara knew they may not see a liberated
Zimbabwe, but still fought. They fought for the future, not for themselves.
Vision 2030, therefore, must be understood in the same light — as a party and
national covenant, not a personal pursuit.”
He said Zanu PF
stood where it is today, because it has travelled a long, demanding journey of
vision, unity, sacrifice, love and singleness of purpose.
Chiwenga said
holding the conference in Manicaland was profoundly symbolic as Mutare occupied
a sacred place in the liberation story of our country.
“It was a
crucial gateway, through which thousands of our brave sons and daughters
crossed into Mozambique to wage the struggle for our independence,” he said.
“Through these
mountains and valleys, they slipped across the border — young, determined and
full of conviction into bases such as Chimoio, Nyadzonia and Tembwe in
Mozambique.
“Those who
crossed through Botswana and the Zambezi Valley, went to Mukushi and Freedom
Camp in Zambia among others, and in all respective camps, the price of freedom
was paid in full measure.
“Before they
even fired a single shot, many endured the harshest of conditions such as
disease, attacks by wild animals, hunger and starvation.”
He said
Zimbabwe’s fallen heroes had “perished not in battle, but in hope — believing
that their sacrifices would purchase a just, dignified and prosperous Zimbabwe
for all.”
“Those camps in
Mozambique and Zambia were not just military outposts.
“They were
altars of sacrifice — places where pain, courage, and faith fused into the
spirit of liberation. The cries of those who fell still echo across these
hills,” he said.
“Their blood
speaks from the soil, reminding us that our freedom was not inherited — it was
earned with suffering, sealed in blood and consecrated by unwavering
conviction.
“Today, as we
gather on this sacred ground, we are summoned by that same spirit, the spirit
of endurance, honesty, unity and service.
“The fallen are
watching us. Their blood demands integrity. Their voices cry out against
corruption, laziness and moral decay.”
Chiwenga said
the liberation struggle was a collective mission in which the masses, that is,
the people, youths, traditional leaders and children who all played a decisive
role.
“Guerrilla
warfare was people’s warfare. Every home was either a base, a place to eat or a
where clothes were sewn; every family was part of the revolution.
“That bond
between the party and the people must remain unbroken.
“The same unity
and singleness of purpose that drove our liberation struggle must now be the
moral compass guiding us into the future.
“We must
continue to move forward as one party, one people, one destiny — bound by a
shared vision.” Newsday
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