By Aldridge Dzvene | Positive Eye News
In a speech charged with resolve, symbolism, and strategic foresight, the President and First Secretary of ZANU PF, His Excellency Cde. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, addressed the 384th Ordinary Session of the Politburo on 2 July 2025 with a rallying call for renewed discipline, unity of purpose, and people-centred governance.
Delivered with revolutionary gravitas, the address was more than an organisational roadmap, it was a pointed political reflection on the character, capacity, and future of the ruling Party. It came at a critical juncture, ahead of mid-year Central Committee and National Consultative Assembly meetings, and amidst national introspection on service delivery and citizen welfare.
From the outset, the President set the tone with the enduring ZANU PF battle cries, Pamberi nekubatana, Phambili lokubambana, reasserting the primacy of unity and revolutionary commitment. As he welcomed the Politburo, he highlighted ongoing engagements that reinforce Zimbabwe’s strategic alliances, such as his recent visit to celebrate Mozambique’s 50th Independence Anniversary with FRELIMO. That camaraderie, he reminded the Party, must extend to re-energising Zimbabwe’s own path of sovereignty and self-determination.
His call was clear, the Party must stay the course on its people-first mandate.
President Mnangagwa was particularly vocal on the importance of efficient Party mobilisation, urging the leadership to guard against complacency, self-interest, and factionalism. “Musangano hawusi Musangano wezvigaro,” he declared with firm resolve. “This Party is not about positions, it’s about people.” The message struck a chord, reinforcing that leadership, from cell to provincial level, must remain anchored in service, discipline, and revolutionary loyalty.
He praised provinces such as Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Masvingo, and Manicaland for their electoral victories in recent by-elections, evidence, he said, of the strength of grassroots mobilisation and the enduring appeal of ZANU PF’s policies. Yet, these victories were not an excuse for rest but a call to deepen mobilisation, verification, and restructuring of Party structures, “village by village, branch by branch.”
The President also underscored the significance of cultural renewal in nation-building, drawing from his recent visit to Chiredzi for National Culture Month. Zimbabwe’s liberation heritage, traditions, and values, he said, must be tools for modern development, not relics of nostalgia. Culture, when harnessed correctly, must catalyse youth innovation, identity, and productivity.
In a tone both sober and urgent, Cde. Mnangagwa reflected on his recent tour of Harare’s public health institutions. What he witnessed was, in his words, “disheartening.” He bemoaned the state of public service delivery and warned against blame-shifting, calling instead for joint responsibility across the public sector, private sector, and individual citizens. While applauding the dedication of frontline workers, he emphasised that genuine reform in health and social services must begin with political will and administrative discipline.
The President used the Trabablas Interchange project, constructed with local resources despite sanctions, as a beacon of what Zimbabweans can achieve with unity, innovation, and belief in their own capacity. “If we are united, focused, patriotic and work hard… nothing is impossible,” he affirmed.
Notably, he also pointed to ongoing high-level interactions with fellow revolutionary movements, the Communist Party of China, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, and FRELIMO, as essential platforms for internal capacity building, ideological renewal, and regional integration.
On international relations, he reiterated the principle of Zimbabwe as “a friend to all and an enemy to none,” reinforcing the country’s position within global diplomacy while promoting economic re-engagement on its own terms.
Cde. Mnangagwa’s address was not without introspection. He honoured fallen heroes such as the late Cde. Luke Joboringo Mushore, reminding the Politburo that the sacrifices of liberation must never be betrayed by poor governance, internal discord, or detachment from the people.
Ultimately, the address was a clarion call, to remain vigilant in discipline, grounded in the people’s aspirations, and unwavering in national duty. As the Party steers toward its upcoming National People’s Conference, and as Zimbabwe journeys toward Vision 2030, the leadership is being challenged to rise above positions and politics, and serve with revolutionary heart.
In President Mnangagwa’s words, “Let us re-commit to remain unflinchingly loyal, patriotic, and to wholeheartedly serve our Party and the people of this great nation.”
That is not just a political slogan. It is, increasingly, a test of leadership.
