Harare - Zanu PF Youth League National Commissar Innocent Hamandishe on Wednesday threatened that the party’s youth will take the law into their own hands and deal with anyone who dared publicly oppose Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing party youths who gathered at the Zanu PF Headquarters in Harare, Hamandishe said the #Tajamuka group and #This Flag Pastor Evan Mawarire should not intimidate Mugabe as they would face the full wrath of the party youths.
“Next time we will ask the police to step aside and let us deal with them. We don’t want people who try to instill fear in our president. You tell us about #Tajamuka, we have done that a long time ago before you,” he said.
He said those who had ambitions of running the country should not do it through violent protests but should wait for elections and run for the presidency.
“We have been keeping quiet because we thought he [Mawarire] was a man of God but now we have realised he is bent on forming a political party. Go on and let us meet in the elections,” he said.
The utterances by Hamandishe come just a few hours after Mugabe directly attacked Mawarire, saying he should leave the country and join those who were sponsoring him.
“The Mawarires and those who believe in that way of living in our country, well, they are not part of us in thinking. If they don’t like to live with us, let them go to those who are sponsoring them, to the countries of those who are sponsoring them,” Mugabe said on Tuesday, at the burial of former Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Charles Utete. Utete collapsed and died at his Harare home last Friday.
Hamandishe also urged the youths to deal ruthlessly with anyone found invading land in urban areas, saying all the land left was now for the youths.
“Youth must be the eyes of the president and deal with land invaders. The president said that the remaining land is for the youths. Whoever invades land, we will deal with you. It is you who will go to the police,” he said, without specifying the action,” he said.
He warned leaders in party structures to desist from corruptly allocating residential stands to their friends who were not party youths.
“We will not tolerate any party chairpersons who bring people from outside the party. Only Zanu youths must benefit from these stands,” he said.
African News Agency