Zanu-PF, MDC sing same hymn




Morgan Tsvangirai
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The ruling Zanu-PF and MDC rarely agree.

This time they are singing from the same song sheet: they want their legislators to attend ideological schools to get a grounding of what their parties stand for.

Zanu-PF has recommended that its MPs should go through the political ideology lectures of the party at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology as a way to reorient the legislators.

This also comes after the party relieved youth leaders – Godfrey Tsenengamu and Lewis Matutu – of their positions after they named businessmen as behind cartels that are dragging the economy.

Acting Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Patrick Chinamasa said the naming and shaming of the businessmen was not part of the party’s ideology. Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told Business Times that the party was in the process of implementing some of the resolutions of 2019 Goromonzi National People’s conference that its members had to go through the school of ideology.

“We are currently holding workshops countrywide for party members in the provinces and members of Parliament are also attending them to understand the party structures. Every committed Member of Parliament should be attending the lectures,” Moyo said.

The Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology is headed by Politburo member Munyaradzi Machacha.

So far members of Parliament of Zanu-PF from Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces have held workshops of ideology which were attended by members of Parliament.

Some of the topics that the legislators are expected to learn include national history, national ideology, economic policies, social policies and governance, party affairs, media and communication, security and defence policies, international relations, current affairs and emerging issues.

In their resolution Zanu-PF said that in order for the party to withstand the nefarious machinations of marauding regime change operatives, the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology must unpack these complex issues into teaching material for the training of the party leadership including members of parliament, general membership and key government officials.

“Years without a thoughtout, planned, organised and funded training programme has resulted in a serious degeneration of political and ideological consciousness amongst the entire membership of the Party.

This has inevitably impacted negatively on discipline and commitment, leadership and organisation and consequently on the ability of the membership of the party to understand their political environment,” Moyo said.

The opposition MDC has also launched the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai School of Leadership and Ideology Development series that is also expected to be attended by the party’s legislators.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa launched the inaugural programme.

Chamisa said the party’s legislators should religiously attend the lecture series in the future.

“We have learnt from Morgan Tsvangirai who taught us that we must use peace to confront guns and violence.

This is the year of action. Our MPs must attend the lectures to understand our party’s philosophy and principles that we are a non-violent party.

They will try to shoot us and whenever you see anyone using guns, you must know that they are cowards,” Chamisa said.

Zanu-PF School of Ideology is named after the late Zanu-PF chairman Herbert Chitepo who died in Zambia Lusaka in 1975.

The MDC School of Ideology is named after the late Tsvangirai. Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said both political parties were keen to reorient their party members to their ideologies.

Source – businesstimes