Agitated war veterans have
reiterated their call for President Robert Mugabe to leave office now, adding
derisively yesterday that they would not "waste" their time
quarrelling with Zanu-PF youths who have said that they are prepared to take up
arms to defend the nonagenarian.
Speaking to the Daily News, the
spokesperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association
(ZNLWVA), Douglas Mahiya, was emphatic that Mugabe - who turns a mature 93 next
month - could not continue to lead the country.
 |
| *President Mugabe |
He also took a swipe at
Zanu-PF youth leader Kudzanai Chipanga who said earlier this week that party
youths were ready to go to war against former freedom fighters and other
supporters of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in defence of Mugabe - saying
Chipanga had "no idea" about wars and their deadly consequences.
This comes as Zanu-PF secretary for
administration Ignatius Chombo was also insisting yesterday at a press
conference held at the party's headquarters in Harare that
Mugabe would be the party's presidential candidate in next year's
eagerly-anticipated national elections, as decided at the party's disputed 2014
congress.
"The youths do not know what taking up
arms is all about. They only hear about it. Nobody in their right mind wants a
war, especially those who were once involved in one. What the youths are saying
is childish.
"What we are simply saying is that a
93-year-old may, naturally, not be fully capable of discharging their duties in
the office of the president," the
forthright Mahiya said.
However, Chombo was adamant
that Mugabe could only be challenged internally at the party's 2019 elective
congress.
"Some of you, including
the press elect not to read," Chombo said, adding that the Zanu-PF
congress was the only party event that was held to elect the person who would
represent the former liberation movement in future elections.
"We are saying this so
that newspapers do not create confusion where there is none. In 2014, we
elected our president.
"We said then that all
those who want to be president should raise their hands. Everyone rushed to
lift the president's, saying ‘we want Mugabe, he is the one we want to be
president of the party'.
"This was a mandate for
five years. So, anyone who wants to come in now can only do so at the 2019
congress. Logically and mathematically, it's all very clear and straightforward
. . . there is no shortcut. So what is bothering our reporters?" he said -
bizarrely appearing to blame Zanu-PF's worsening tribal, factional and
succession wars on the media.
