Story by Online Reporter
ZANU PF First Secretary and President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, has challenged party leaders to urgently embrace new media platforms as tools for promoting national unity, defending the party’s ideology and advancing Zimbabwe’s development agenda, warning against their misuse for personal ambition and factional interests.
Addressing the Strategic Seminar Workshop for ZANU PF Central Committee members in Gweru this Friday, President Mnangagwa said digital platforms must be used to “publicise the work and successes of our Party” and to “promote unity of purpose around our shared national vision”.
“I challenge us to use the media to promote unity of purpose around our shared national vision and not as a tool for egos as well as opportunistic and self-seeking behaviour,” he said.
The President said the seminar was convened to strengthen leadership capacity, ideological clarity and collective discipline within the ruling party, stressing that it was “not for show” but a platform for honest introspection and renewal.
“This gathering must be a platform for honest introspection and renewal as we consolidate the people-centred governance of our country under ZANU PF,” he said.
President Mnangagwa reminded Central Committee members of their constitutional role as the party’s principal decision-making organ between congresses, with responsibility to implement party resolutions and supervise the execution of government programmes.
“This constitutional role imposes a sacred obligation upon each and every member of the Central Committee. We are custodians of Party discipline, guardians of ideological consistency and standard-bearers of collective leadership,” he said.
He urged leaders to recommit themselves to loyalty, patriotism and service to the people, cautioning that the party was “bigger than all of us” and required humility, self-discipline and respect for the constitution.
“The trust and confidence bestowed on us by our membership and the nation should be approached with soberness and reverence,” President Mnangagwa said.
Addressing leadership ethics, the President dismissed entitlement to office, stressing that leadership must be earned through service and integrity.
“Leadership is not conferred by position alone. It is earned through unwavering commitment to serving the Party and the people. No one can ever claim to be entitled to a leadership post,” he said.
He warned that disregard for the party constitution and correct party line would result in opportunism and ideological decay, adding that no structure under the current leadership should be allowed to degenerate into such a state.
President Mnangagwa also called for greater constitutional literacy, saying understanding the synergy between the party and national constitutions was critical for accountable governance and policy coherence.
On the economy, he said Central Committee members must be equipped to engage meaningfully with national development frameworks, including Vision 2030, and support innovation across all sectors.
“Our Party should be more responsive and innovative in the manner we approach challenges and opportunities across all sectors of the economy,” he said.
He urged leaders to recalibrate national interests in the context of global shifts, particularly in trade, science, technology, security and artificial intelligence, emphasising that national security was a collective responsibility.
“Every leader is an ambassador of both the Party and our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe,” President Mnangagwa said, reaffirming the policy of being a “friend to all and enemy to none” and reiterating that “Zimbabwe is open for business”.
The President also reiterated zero tolerance for corruption, complacency and mediocrity, calling on leaders to expose inefficiency within both party and government structures.
“Tendencies to gloss over or conceal inefficiencies are not acceptable. Nothing must undermine the attainment of Vision 2030,” he said.
Concluding his address, President Mnangagwa said ZANU PF remained a party of results and urged the Central Committee to emerge from the seminar disciplined, innovative, ethically upright and development-focused.
“Together as a united Party leadership, we have ensured that our unity, peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity are not tampered with,” he said.
