Exiled former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere has accused the President Emmerson Mnangagwa led government of being obsessed with riches at the expense of the people and challenged the nation to take the ruling elites head-on.
Speaking at the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) annual congress in Soweto Saturday, the former Local Government minister said the struggle for Zimbabwe “is just about to begin” while declaring that he can no longer “take nonsense” that is happening across the Limpopo.
“The pain in our people is too much, queues day in and out, our people are running to South Africa. Thousands of our people are here without papers; that’s the humiliation they are facing living in a country full of challenges.
“As Zimbabweans, we must take the bull by its horns. It is not about enmity; it is about correcting comrades that have gone wayward. They want more money, they want more riches, and they have lost the direction of the revolution” he charged.
Kasukuwere, who was part of the late former president Robert Mugabe’s government has, over the years, been accused of being a highly corrupt official who hid behind Mugabe to enrich himself and his close associates.
Soon after the military takeover in November 2017, Kasukuwere was arrayed before the courts for criminal abuse of office as well as corruption emanating from his time in government.
The former Zanu-PF Political commissar also lashed out at the ruling party accusing it of losing direction.
“When they (Zanu PF) meet, hear their resolutions, none of the resolutions makes sense, they have no basis to move forward,” Kasukuwere said.
He further stated that Zanu-PF has remained stuck in the past without anything to offer other than the liberation stories.
“A hungry people cannot be governed and this is the challenge many liberation movements are facing in Africa,” he said.
“I can give you an example of my country Zimbabwe, the objective when they started the movements, they formed the military wing called ZANLA and ZIPRA and those combatants have not put the guns down.
“They are still in that liberation period; they have not transformed to talk about economic empowerment,” he said.
During his years, Kasukuwere is said to have run a terror group in Mashonaland Central province which would intimidate and sometimes kill, political opponents.
During his address, he also took a swipe at the militarization of state institutions since November 2017 saying the people should not be led by the gun as it is suppressive.
“The gun has now become an instrument to suppress the majority of our people. We can’t focus on growing the cake, on growing our economy, get our people into mining, get our people into agriculture, and get our people to become masters of their own destiny.
“We have done enough politics, but for the necessity…must lead us into total control of the economy,” he said.
President Mnangagwa has appointed a number of retired senior army officers to run state institutions while others have been posted to diplomatic missions, especially to countries that are close to Zimbabwe.
