By Dickson Bandera
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday challenged members of the ZANU PF Central Committee to recommit themselves to discipline, ideological clarity and people-centred leadership, warning that complacency, corruption and self-interest could undermine national development and the ruling party’s Vision 2030 agenda.
Addressing a high-level Strategic Seminar Workshop for Central Committee members at the ZANU PF Convention Centre in Gweru, President Mnangagwa said the gathering was not ceremonial but a platform for “honest introspection and renewal” as the party consolidates governance responsibilities .
“This gathering is not for show. It must be a platform for honest introspection and renewal,” President Mnangagwa said, adding that party leaders carry a “weighty duty” to unite Zimbabweans around development that improves livelihoods .
He reminded the leadership that the Central Committee, as the party’s principal organ between congresses, bears a “sacred obligation” to uphold discipline, supervise government programmes and ensure ideological consistency.
“We are custodians of Party discipline, guardians of ideological consistency and standard-bearers of collective leadership,” he said, urging members to exercise self-discipline and respect the party constitution at all times .
President Mnangagwa warned against entitlement in leadership, stressing that positions are earned through service and loyalty to the people.
“Leadership is not conferred by position alone. It is earned through the unwavering commitment to wholeheartedly serving the Party and people of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe,” he said. “No one can ever claim to be ‘entitled’ to a leadership post” .
He also called on the party to modernise its mobilisation strategies without compromising its core values, encouraging greater use of new media while cautioning against misuse for personal agendas.
“The identity, ideology, ethos and character of the Party should never change, however, our strategies on growing the membership and winning the hearts and minds of the people must be fluid, innovative and forward looking,” President Mnangagwa said .
On governance and accountability, the President reaffirmed ZANU PF’s stance against corruption and inefficiency, saying leaders must lead efforts to expose malpractice both within the party and government.
“We have zero tolerance to corruption, complacency, mediocrity and outright negligence,” he said. “Nothing must undermine the attainment of Vision 2030” .
President Mnangagwa also urged party leaders to remain guided by Zimbabwe’s foreign policy principle of engaging all nations without hostility, describing every leader as an ambassador of both the party and the country.
“Central Committee leaders are urged to always promote our philosophy of ‘friend to all and enemy to none,’ and reinforce that ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business,’” he said .
He concluded by calling for a re-energised Central Committee that is disciplined, innovative, ethically upright and strategically focused on development that places people at the centre, before officially declaring the strategic workshop open .
