Defiant Mugabe vows to stay on

In a passionate plea to his supporters, Mugabe said he would not dump them now when there is still a dysfunctional inclusive government, which he said must be buried soon in an election his party wants early next year without fail.

“Sometimes there have been calls that I must retire but as long as there is still a lot of work to be done …I cannot leave you on your own in the deep-end,” he said.

Referring to the targeted sanctions, Mugabe said: “I cannot say I am now on the shore that would be a demonstration of loss of confidence in myself and an act of complete cowardice. I am not a coward,” he said.

“I am lucky God has given me the longer life than others to be with you, I cannot let you down. I cannot dump you now.” Mugabe said this as several senior Zanu PF officials have informally said Mugabe must retire now because he was now a liability to the party.

This was revealed in the WikiLeaks cables, which revealed that the late Vice-President Joseph Msika, the late Eddison Zvobgo, the late retired army commander General Solomon Mujuru, Vice-President John Nkomo, Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere, former information minister Jonathan Moyo and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, among other senior officials, wanted Mugabe to go.

Mugabe said there was need  to do away with the inclusive  government by having elections next year as some ministers from the two MDC formations were frustrating development initiatives like the US$40 million fund for distressed companies in Bulawayo.

“This is why we say this creature, this inclusive governmental animal must now see its death.   We must dig its grave.  Let us now start preparing for elections, as we do that we are digging the grave of this monster,” he said.

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“The grave must not only be six foot, it must be six foot times 10, deeper, deeper, deeper and deeper, never again to come back.”

Zanu PF threatens NGOs

As part of the resolutions, Zanu PF agreed to have primary elections where imposition of candidates is prohibited. The conference also resolved to de-register non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are found guilty of interfering with the country’s internal affairs.

According to a central committee report, Zanu PF says about 250 NGOs are operating in Zimbabwe, with many of them working to remove President Robert Mugabe.

Another resolution was that the government should come up with a regulatory framework to protect privacy of people and national security. The Zanu PF administration has been using draconian pieces of legislation to muzzle the media.