Mugabe blasts restless military leaders; Tells them he’s not stepping down

President Mugabe has said the military has no right to interfere in politics and should air its views according to the dictates of the country’s Constitution.

In his address to the Zanu-PF Women’s League National Assembly meeting at the ruling party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday, the President — who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces — said politics leads the gun, not the other way round.

He slammed those urging him to step down, saying his mandate derived from the people. “The people are the ones who have chosen me. Ko mamanoeuvres aya anozoitwa nerweseri and organisations twese tumwe even of young people vatakange tinavo kuhondo kuti vaswere kunditsoropodza mupaper? It is not vanaMutsvangwa per se.

“Mutsvangwa takavatambira paChimoio vachibva pauniversity paya nevamwe vakomana vari four tikavati welcome ndivo nhasi vaakuti aah President ngavabve, zvinorwadza, but they are not alone. They are being sent.

“The military vese have no right you know, to be interfering with the political processes. Theirs is to support. They can give their own views within the Constitution and according to also the principle that politics shall always lead the gun and not the gun politics. Iyoyo inenge yava coup iyo. The gun should not lead politics, but politics the gun that is the principle,” he said. state media