ZANU PF youth secretary Kudzanai Chipanga yesterday equated President Robert Mugabe to an angel while claiming the 93-year-old leader will be part of those vetting righteous people who will go to heaven.

by OBEY MANAYITI/JAIROS SAUNYAMA

Mugabe also chastised Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere for misappropriating urban land meant for Zanu PF youths, saying the process was “highly flawed” as it could be easily abused by land barons and corrupt officials.

In an unprecedented grovelling and bootlicking address amounting to serious blasphemy, Chipanga told thousands of Zanu PF supporters at a meeting at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera, that Mugabe’s late mother, Mbuya Bona, was inspired by God to name the veteran leader as Gabriel.

“Truly speaking, in heaven there is God and here on earth there is an angel called Robert Gabriel Mugabe. You are representing God here on earth,” Chipanga said as Mugabe, his wife Grace and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa nodded in disbelief. Other top Zanu PF officials ululated.

Chipanga said people should not think that he was dramatising by equating Mugabe to an angel.

“But he is an angel. Who doesn’t know that God’s angels are called Gabriel?” Chipanga rhetorically asked the bemused crowd.

“I promise you, people, that when we go to heaven don’t be surprised to see Robert Gabriel Mugabe standing beside God vetting people into heaven. Gushungo, you are an angel.

“Amai Mugabe, you are a wife of an angel so when people enter heaven and when it’s Zimbabwe’s turn, you will be seated there, with secretary for administration (Ignatius) Chombo having names, while you will be vetting those whom you know.”

The Zanu PF youth leader also claimed he would be playing a part in vetting Zimbabwean youths while Grace would be vetting women to enter into heaven on the basis of supporting Zanu PF.

Addressing the supporters, Mugabe criticised Kasukuwere for haphazardly distributing urban land for residential stands to Zanu PF youths, saying the process was “highly flawed” as it could be easily abused by land barons and corrupt officials.

Mugabe said youths could easily lose the land Kasukuwere wanted to allocate them, as there were vultures ready to pounce.

The President said it would be prudent to build structured apartments so that youths could reasonably benefit, rather than giving them land which could easily be taken away.

“In urban areas we have no enough space to give you for residential stands. We want to start a programme to build apartments which can accommodate a lot of people. I heard your leader (Chipanga) saying you were given land by Kasukuwere in the Manyame area. I am not satisfied with that because if we continue like that we will go nowhere,” Mugabe said.

Mugabe said youths were marrying and having children whose siblings would also want land. He said it would be impossible to give them the land if they were to go with the model of giving out residential stands.

He said Zanu PF officials canvassing to succeed him were power-hungry, while urging them to wait for the party’s elective congress in 2019.

Zanu PF is on the verge of implosion as rival factions plot against each other in a bid to position themselves to succeed 93-year-old Mugabe, who is refusing to retire to make way for fresh blood.

“This issue of factions where some leaders are conducting meetings at night while others are approaching witchdoctors, this is where I am saying Chipanga and your team, it’s you who are being approached for support,” Mugabe said.

“It’s you the youths who will be promised a lot of things in exchange for the support. We don’t want that. It’s bad for the party. It destroys the party. To the senior officials we say to you stop it, stop it, stop it. I am borrowing the phrase from Amai (Grace) Mugabe. It destroys us.”

Mugabe said he was aware of the shenanigans of those canvassing to succeed him.

He said principled and straightforward leaders would be rewarded at the next congress.

“We do not want to continue fighting for positions before the time (congress) has arrived. Do not count chicks before they are hatched. Musavhiya mhuka yamusati mabata, kurodza mapanga kuti ini ndichazotora bandauko, ini ndichazotora chidya, no we want peace. Let’s wait for the time. It’s certainly coming,” Mugabe said.

He said many people were surprised with the success recorded last year at the youth league-organised one-million-man march.

Mugabe, who frequently visits Singapore for medical check-ups, also said many people, including his detractors, were puzzled by his level of fitness.

“The one-million-man march was a surprise to the whole nation. It also surprised even those in Sadc and the whites that the person we thought is finished, this is what he is. I put my hands in my pocket and said yes this is what I still am,” he said.

Mugabe said many people say a lot of things about him just because of his advanced age, insisting he was still fit to perform his job like a youth.

Mugabe also announced plans to expropriate 70 white-owned farms in Mashonaland East, which he alleged were previously being protected by former provincial governor Ray Kaukonde.

He said the government would subdivide the farms for the benefit of the youths.

Mugabe left the crowd in stitches when he revealed the promiscuous behaviour of his lieutenants in government. He said the majority of his Cabinet ministers had gone through embarrassing divorces more than once, while others had “small houses”.

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