President Emmerson Mnangagwa has claimed that the ruling ZANU PF is the only party in Zimbabwe that has people-centred policies.
What he said:
In his closing remarks at the inaugural War Veterans League elective congress held at the HICC, Mnangagwa said:
Zanu-PF is the only party which fought for the liberation and democracy of this country, through you, our war veterans. We are the only Party with people centred policies, programmes and projects. We are the party which is delivering a better quality of life that is leaving no one and no place behind, step by step, brick upon brick, stone upon stone… ZANU PF is a people’s Party, let us all exercise our respective mandates and functions with the people of this great country at the centre of our programmes. We must be servant leaders who always work side by side with the grassroots. The people are to us what water is to the fish. We must be one with the people and stay with them, explaining the Party policies and programmes as well as mobilising them to implement projects that will lift them out of poverty into prosperity, right from the ward level.
Context:
The ruling party has in recent years been accused of only being interested in retaining power while doing nothing to improve the welfare of the citizenry.
In 2017 when the army then led by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga initiated “Operation Restore Legacy” which resulted in the demise of the late former President Robert Mugabe, it argued that the ruling party had diverged from the ethos and values of the liberation struggle.
Historians say improving the lives of the citizenry was one of the major motivations behind the liberation struggle.
Many Zimbabweans currently live in abject poverty following the collapse of the economy at the turn of the millennium.
Critics cite the huge contrast between the lives of political elites and the lives of the electorate as proof that the ruling party does not care about the lives of the general populace.
Mnangagwa’s remarks come as Zimbabwe prepares for harmonised elections slated for 2023.