President Robert Mugabe yesterday hit out at factionalism echoing his wife, Grace, to stop it.
“If you are a genuine ZANU-PF member, be true to your party,” he said.
“We now have factions and some are approaching sangomas,” he told a youth meeting in Marondera at the start of his nationwide tour in which he is addressing provincial party youths.
The tour is seen as a way of gauging ZANU-PF support ahead of next year’s election.
“They approach the youths and say support me, I will do certain things for you,” he was quoted by The Herald as saying.
“Izvozvo hatidi, zvonyangadza musangano, zvouraya musangano. To the leaders, we also say Stop It! Stop It! Stop It!”
Stop it, was widely used by Mugabe's wife, Grace, during her nationwide tour at which she also condemned factionalims, though she was associated with one faction, G40.
She was even nicknamed Dr Stop it, but was forced to stop the rallies when she went too far and attacked the military and Vice-Presiden Emmerson Mnangagwa.
President Mugabe was told by war veterans who include the military to rein in his wife or wreck the party.
He was also told that party slogans should only be about the party or him and no one else.
Yesterday Mugabe warned faction leaders that he was quite aware of what was happening.
“If you are known as someone who takes sides, who holds secret meetings, don’t think people don’t see,” he said.
“They see. Don’t think Mugabe doesn’t see, he knows a lot, but we want people to unite.
“We have a Congress and we are a party with guidelines. Munhu anogona anowonekwa, akatwasanuka anowoneka and Congress will decide. That is what we want such that Congress exercises its powers as outlined in the Constitution.
“We don’t want to start fights before the time comes. Ndokuvhiyaka mhuka musati maibata. Hamusati maibata, kurodza mapanga kuti haaa ini ndichatora bandauko, ini chidya, aewa, be at peace. The time will come, it will certainly come. We want the party to remain united, with people not segregating against each other,” Mugabe was quoted by The Herald as saying.
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