Zanu PF youth said to be aligned to a faction of the party known as Generation 40 or G40 are planning a million-man march to show support for President Mugabe. They are vowing to stand by Mr. Mugabe despite his advanced age.
The youth are planning to join others in May to stage what they term a million-man march in solidarity with President Mugabe. They are believed to be G40 members, who allegedly want First Lady Grace Mugabe to succeed her husband.
The other faction allegedly led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is backed by war veterans of the 1970s war of liberation.
The youth, who gathered in the eastern border city today to make the necessary arrangements for the proposed march, said they are geared for the public event to prove they are fully behind the 92-year old leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.
Their representative, Zanu PF Youth League political commissar, Innocent Hamandishe, said they want Mr. Mugabe to rule until he dies.
“Our main aim on the One Million Men March is to show the President that we are fully behind him. We want him to be our president for life and those that do not agree are free to go to ZEC and remove their name there or vote otherwise.”
Hamandishe further noted that they are being used as political tools by some Cabinet ministers. He said this can only stop if they are economically empowered.
“Our youths have suffered enough and we will ensure that ministers that are not doing their work are named and shamed, come that day. We will meet the president on the Million Men March.”
The youths that were in the city are planning to hold a rally on Sunday in the eastern border city ahead of the march in May. Each province is expected to provide at least 100,000 young people for the event.
Acting Zanu PF Manicaland provincial Youth League chairperson, Mubuso Chinguno, said they have been let down by ministers in the province as most youths do not have land, stands in urban areas and are left out of state projects.
They said they have not yet benefited from the diamond-rich Manicaland province. President Mugabe recently claimed that Zimbabwe could have lost about $15 billion in potential diamond revenue due to lack of transparency in the mining of the gems.
Chinnguno said this is unacceptable as part of the proceeds were meant to benefit local youth.
“As chairperson for the province we have youths that are being marginalized in terms of accessing land, residential stands and businesses. We want them to benefit after being left out in the past in many projects.”
The youth are expected to raise funds for the transportation of Zanu PF activists to the so-called million-man march in Harare.