Zanu Pf learns from its past

Zanu Pf learns from its past

• sends new youth league bosses for ideological orientation before assumption of duty

Pretty Manyewe

The recently elected Zanu Pf Youth National Executive members will attend the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology before they start work in their new capacities.

The school inculcates a sense of patriotism and produces disciplined individuals who have an appreciation of the Zanu Pf party’s history and values.

This was announced by the ruling party’s National Political Commissar Dr Mike Bimha, at a press conference today.

“I’m happy, the conference was a big success and His Excellency commended the outgoing executive. As commissariat, we will be giving the new executive support of what is expected. Very soon we will be organising for them to go to Chitepo School of Ideology,” said Dr Bimha.

This move is meant to help the executive have an understanding of the history of the country and the party, have respect of leadership and be able to safeguard the fight for the freedom of the country.

In the past, there have been instances where the youth who are supposed to be vanguards of the party got lost along the way and started behaving in ways inconsistent with what was expected of them.

In 2017, in the run-up to Operation Restore Legacy then Secretary for Youth Affairs Kudzai Chipanga issued a press statement denigrating war veterans, which was unexpected of a person in his post.

Lewis Matutu, in February 2020 lost his position as Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs after holding a press conference in which he cast aspersions against the party leadership.

He however returned to the party as a card carrying member, after agreeing to go for rehabilitation at the Chitepo School of Ideology.

Perhaps such incidences could have avoided if the Chitepo School of Ideology preceded assumption of office by top youth league members, as is the case right now.

Historically the establishment of the Chitepo Ideological College was mooted soon after Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980.

When war veterans met with former President Robert Mugabe in April 2016, they also said there was the need to immediately operationalise the Chitepo Ideological College without necessary waiting for the construction of a structure.

They said there was a deterioration of patriotism and understanding of the Zanu PF ideology within its structures particularly by those who did not participate in the liberation struggle.

Currently, the Chitepo School of Ideology runs under the inimitable Cde Munyaradzi Machacha, who is an upstanding ideological thinker.