The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu
ZANU PF, which got a fresh mandate in the August 23-24 elections, will not entertain “any talk of a rerun, a Government of National Unity, or the so-called Transitional Authority”, as this “is a pipedream that will never ever happen”, President Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing the 119th Ordinary Session of the ZANU PF Central Committee at the ruling party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa said those in opposition must respect the will of the people expressed through the polls.
He said there was no constitutional basis for an election rerun.
The Government, he said, was now focused on implementing programmes and policies that were geared at improving the lives of Zimbabweans.
“The people have granted our revolutionary mass party, ZANU PF, yet another mandate to govern our great motherland, Zimbabwe. This is the reality that the leaders of the opposition, their supporters and their handlers must face,” he said.
“Entertaining any talk of a rerun, a so-called Government of National Unity, or Transitional Authority is a pipe dream that will never ever happen.
“They must wake up from these delusions. The people of our great motherland have spoken; the collective voices must be respected.
“Democracy and constitutionalism reign supreme in our country.”
ZANU PF’s success in the elections, said the President, was as a result of unity of purpose, consistency and hard work, as well as people-centred polices, programmes and projects.
“Informed by our message and demonstration of unity, love and harmony, we delivered a free, fair, peaceful, transparent and credible election.
“Together as a united people, we shamed our detractors who had wished for division, violence and even bloodshed in our country,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said “the thunderous defeat of puppet political parties” represented a rejection of neo-colonialism and “subjugation by our detractors”.
“We strongly condemn the opposition who are rejecting constitutionalism and democracy in our country by disregarding our laws, institutions and processes.
“Zimbabwe, under ZANU PF, will never be a banana republic, ‘a free for all’.”
The ruling party is now focused on preparations of the 20th National People’s Conference, which is expected to reflect on the policies, programmes and projects that must be accelerated to improve the quality of life of Zimbabweans.
The Second Republic, the President added, had scored remarkable developmental achievements in various sectors of the economy.
He urged the party to mobilise and actively participate in the rural industrialisation programme.
Food security at household and national levels, he said, had been sustained through interventions such as the Pfumvudza/Intwasa and the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme.
President Mnangagwa said the mining and transport sectors also continue to register significant growth.
The Government now intends to prioritise and scale up the provision of accessible and affordable social services such as quality healthcare, education, clean water and sanitation, decent housing and waste management.
Outstanding infrastructure development projects will be “quickly completed” and new projects will be rolled out in all provinces.
“I am aware that the state of some road networks in the various provinces need attention. These will be attended to,” he said.
He called on members of the Central Committee, as the highest decision-making body of the party outside Congress, to nurture a culture of open, frank, objective and factual discussions to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
“Party business, policies, programmes and activities must be undertaken with the big-picture and long-term projections in mind, beyond Vision 2030.
“Informed by the lessons and experiences of the last five years, it is important that we drive continuity of the people-centred development revolution.”
Party supporters, he added, must be mobilised towards taking ownership of national development.
“Government is a product of the party. As such, we should continue to guide Government as it implements our party policies and programmes for the betterment of livelihoods of all Zimbabweans.
“The Central Committee should provide the requisite strategic leadership,” he said.
“We expect you, as the highest decision-making body outside Congress, to give direction and superintend over the achievement of the set national development aspirations and targets.
“More must be done in areas of under-performance to accelerate equalised development and a shared prosperous future across all communities.”
The party and its Central Committee must always listen to the people and address their needs, said the President.
“ZANU PF remains the only party implementing sound policies to transform, modernise and industrialise our country for the benefit of all our people, leaving no one and no place behind.”
*X: @dmmatabvu