ACTING deputy secretary for youth affairs in the Zanu PF politiburo, Tendai Chirau has accused some members of the ruling party’s youth league of acting in a manner detrimental to the moral standing of the party leadership.
In his opening remarks during a youth league national executive meeting held in Harare recently, Chirau bemoaned gross indiscipline within the youth league ranks which has seen some of them denigrating senior party leaders on social media platforms.
“There are some youths who are using social media platforms to run the party which is wrong. If people have grievances, there are channels to follow as prescribed by the Zanu PF constitution.
“Issues of indiscipline within our ranks and across the entire national youth population continue to threaten our integrity as leaders of young people. Are we doing enough to promote discipline and commitment to hard work among the youth we lead?
“Youth league members who will be caught on the wrong side of the law abusing social media will be disciplined,” Chirau said.
He also said Zanu PF was under siege from its detractors in the opposition who are allegedly bent on grabbing power from President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Be that as it may, as principled youth leaders, we stand avowed to protect the nation against any form or colour of lawlessness.
“The Zanu PF youth league shall not tolerate, under whatever circumstances, any path to political power in Zimbabwe which by-passes lawful expression of the majority voice and will and this was emphatically demonstrated by our electoral victory in 2018.
“We therefore register our preparedness to stand in resolute defence of legitimate national interests — in defence of innocent patriots — against any disruptive, senseless violence and injury.
“Let us remain vigilant and ever mindful of the fact that our enemies, the enemies of progress, never go to sleep as they continuously plot to unseat us,” he said.
This comes as the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance resolved to roll out countrywide mass demonstrations dubbed “winter protests” against Mnangagwa’s administration.
The opposition outfit has been irked by the recall of 40 MDC Alliance legislators and 80 councillors, loss of its headquarters and $7,5 million State funding, which it claims was engineered by Zanu PF to decimate it ahead of the 2023 polls.
Chirau also accused urban local authorities led by the opposition MDC of letting service delivery plummet under their watch.
“We are all aware of what is happening with urban councils which are opposition-controlled. We of course, deplore the deteriorating state of urban infrastructure, which is not only a direct consequence of the ineptitude of the clueless political quislings and wannabes in charge, but also a deliberate political ploy to discredit the ruling party.
“We have to step up and prevent these sponsored regime change charlatans from turning our cities into colonial-era villages.
“I say today that it is better to let the central government move in and restore sanity in our urban areas,” he said.
In his wide-ranging speech during the youth league national executive meeting, Chirau also decried the general delinquency among the youths, including abuse of drugs and called on authorities to get tough on dealers
“It is also highly disturbing comrades, to note that there is a demon prowling the streets and pushing our youth into drug abuse and drug addiction, which is also rapidly spilling over into the rural areas.
“The deadly hallucinogenic crystal meth has hit our streets. It is a killer more powerful than heroin, cocaine and cannabis combined.
“Mutoriro, bulbs or hwevo are not just street slang, but terms describing the death of our great potential as youth.
“Guka Makafella is the term used to refer to crystal meth addicts. The term simply describes a death sentence over our youth, as addicts are known to lose sleep for up to three days after taking it, progressively lapsing into mental illness before eventually dying of multiple organ failure,” Chirau said. – Daily News