Zanu PF national Youth League vice secretary, Kudzai Chipanga, has warned Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa that he risks being expelled from the ruling party if he does not show unwavering support for President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, who allegedly wants to succeed the 92 year-old Zimbabwean leader.
Speaking at Cooksey Hall in Chinhoyi on Wednesday, Chipanga said all those who decide not to show support for the president and his family will find themselves outside the party like former secretary general Edgar Tekere, who was expelled for disregarding the leadership despite being among the founders of the party in 1963.
Chipanga, who is a Member of Parliament, said Zanu PF is bigger than individuals and will not hesitate to expel all those who disrespect the first family like what it did to former spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and others in 2014.
Gumbo, former Vice President Joice Mujuru and several others were expelled from Zanu PF for allegedly attempting to topple President Mugabe.
Chipanga, who was in a combative mood, said the party is tired of individuals like Mnangagwa, who pretend to like President Mugabe, while they are allegedly planning to topple him.
“We have people like Rugare Gumbo who is a war vet but he got lost, in Manicaland we have people like Edgar Tekere one of the founders of the party but they got lost and others like Didymus Mutasa they were in the struggle but they strayed away ... We don't follow individuals but we follow the party ideology if there is one or two war veterans straying from the ideology as youth we are not afraid to question their motives.”
He said Zanu PF activists, who back President Mugabe should also show respect and political support for Mrs. Mugabe and their children.
Chipanga warned party youths not to be used by faction leaders and to desist from denigrating the first family through WhatsApp like what is happening at the moment.
“Put profile pictures of President Robert Mugabe and his wife in your mobile phone we don't want youths with divided allegiance if you like Mugabe do the same to his wife, to his children Bona, Robert Jnr and Chatunga. We don't want youth who want President Mugabe on one hand and others on the other ... Down with such people.”
There is a message circulating on social media asking people if Mrs. Mugabe resembles a true and genuine mother of the nation inspite of her alleged foul language at rallies. Some Zanu PF activists are reportedly responding negatively on some of the threads generated on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.
Some of the national youth leaders, who attended the meeting, included youth political commissariat Innocent Hamandishe, secretary for security Tungamirai Mutonhodza and gender secretary Lotious Takarusikirwa.
The youth leadership was meeting provincial members and sons and daughters of war veterans in the province reminding them that there is only one mother of the nation, Mrs. Mugabe. It’s not clear why they decided to do this.