VICE-PRESIDENT and Zanu PF second secretary, Constantino Chiwenga, yesterday bravely rode a barrage of hostilities at the party’s annual people’s conference in Mutare, calling out corruption as a vice that has affected Zimbabwe.
Chiwenga has been under attack for constantly calling out corruption in the country, denouncing and identifying several individuals he labelled zvigananda accusing them of feeding off the trough while the majority of Zimbabweans were suffering.
The former army general reportedly produced a dossier to the Zanu PF politburo identifying several individuals as being corrupt and calling for their immediate arrest.
He has, however, faced hostilities in recent weeks, including an attack from the party’s national secretary for legal affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi in a rebuttal document presented to the politburo on Wednesday this week.
Party national spokesperson and presidential aspirant Christopher Mutsvangwa also upped the ante in the attack against Chiwenga during a presser held at the part headquarters in Harare on Thursday this week.
However, citing the conference’s theme this year Attainment of Vision 2030 Through Economic Empowerment and Value Addition, the Vice-President said it captures the central task before the party to build a people-centred economy that empowers every Zimbabwean. He said this should also ensure that the national wealth benefits all, not just a privileged few.
“Economic empowerment must be genuine — equipping all our people with the means to produce, innovate and own their destiny. That is the essence of Vision 2030 and that is the essence of revolutionary continuity,” Chiwenga said.
“We must always remember that we are not the alpha and the omega of Zimbabwe’s journey.
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“Ours is to carry forward the torch passed to us by those who gave everything without expectation of reward.
“Some of them, like the late General Josiah Magama Tongogara knew they may not see a liberated Zimbabwe, but still fought. They fought for the future, not for themselves. Vision 2030, therefore, must be understood in the same light — as a party and national covenant, not a personal pursuit.”
He said Zanu PF stood where it is today, because it has travelled a long, demanding journey of vision, unity, sacrifice, love and singleness of purpose.
Chiwenga said holding the conference in Manicaland was profoundly symbolic as Mutare occupied a sacred place in the liberation story of our country.
“It was a crucial gateway, through which thousands of our brave sons and daughters crossed into Mozambique to wage the struggle for our independence,” he said.
“Through these mountains and valleys, they slipped across the border — young, determined and full of conviction into bases such as Chimoio, Nyadzonia and Tembwe in Mozambique.
“Those who crossed through Botswana and the Zambezi Valley, went to Mukushi and Freedom Camp in Zambia among others, and in all respective camps, the price of freedom was paid in full measure.
“Before they even fired a single shot, many endured the harshest of conditions such as disease, attacks by wild animals, hunger and starvation.”
He said Zimbabwe’s fallen heroes had “perished not in battle, but in hope — believing that their sacrifices would purchase a just, dignified and prosperous Zimbabwe for all.”
“Those camps in Mozambique and Zambia were not just military outposts.
“They were altars of sacrifice — places where pain, courage, and faith fused into the spirit of liberation. The cries of those who fell still echo across these hills,” he said.
“Their blood speaks from the soil, reminding us that our freedom was not inherited — it was earned with suffering, sealed in blood and consecrated by unwavering conviction.
“Today, as we gather on this sacred ground, we are summoned by that same spirit, the spirit of endurance, honesty, unity and service.
“The fallen are watching us. Their blood demands integrity. Their voices cry out against corruption, laziness and moral decay.”
Chiwenga said the liberation struggle was a collective mission in which the masses, that is, the people, youths, traditional leaders and children who all played a decisive role.
“Guerrilla warfare was people’s warfare. Every home was either a base, a place to eat or a where clothes were sewn; every family was part of the revolution.
“That bond between the party and the people must remain unbroken.
“The same unity and singleness of purpose that drove our liberation struggle must now be the moral compass guiding us into the future.
“We must continue to move forward as one party, one people, one destiny — bound by a shared vision.”
