By- President Emmerson Mnangagwa said any chiefs suspected of supporting opposition political parties would lose their positions.
Mnangagwa said this while addressing Zanu PF supporters at a campaign rally in St Mary’s, Chitungwiza:
We liberated the country through war. Some men and women perished. We said we would work with chiefs and when you see a chief supporting the opposition, that chief should do a cleansing ceremony and ask his ancestors why they would have forsaken him.
According to Chapter 15 of the Constitution, chiefs are not allowed to engage in partisan politics. It says, “traditional leaders must not be members of any political party or in any way participate in partisan politics, act in a partisan manner, further the interests of any political party or cause or violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of any person”.
Mnangagwa also warned the electorate that the Central Government will ignore constituencies that vote for the opposition. He said:
If you want the government to listen to your concerns and address them, you will have to send them via channels that we recognise and not through the opposition.
Here is the opportunity to vote for people who submit your concerns to the leaders.
You hear the young boy (Chamisa) saying if I win, he will make this country ungovernable.
Let us make sure he won’t get into government.
He also reiterated that Zimbabwe will remain a unitary State and secessionists will not succeed. He said:
There are some Mthwakazi (members) who say they want Zimbabwe to be divided. They will speak, get old and die.
Zimbabwe will remain a unitary State. No leadership in this world encourages its country to be divided. No one will divide it.
If you want to do that you will leave shortly. Walk in the right path. We want peace, we want development.
This country has its owners and it’s led by its owners. It can’t be led by people who get advice from whites.