Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC Ne
HARARE – A Christmas Eve address by President Emmerson Mnangagwa has drawn sharp criticism from political analysts and citizens, with many labeling the speech a blunt assertion of party supremacy and a threat to political dissent.
Speaking on December 24 at the Mayor’s Christmas Cheer Fund event in Harare—a function hosted by the opposition-led city council—President Mnangagwa told supporters,
“Never shy to say you are ZANU-PF wherever you are. Let us see who will dare you for that in this country that we rule — then we will see where that person will be by sunset.”
He concluded with the statement,
“Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, nekunamatirwa nevene vayo. Vene vayo ndivanani? Tisu muZANU-PF.”
This translates to:
“The country is built, ruled, and prayed for by its owners. Who are the owners? We are ZANU-PF.”
Political analyst Reason Wafawarowa, in a searing commentary, argued the statement was a deliberate articulation of a dangerous worldview.
“This was not a slip of the tongue. It is a typical statement made by a first-class dictator,” Wafawarowa stated.
“Democratic leaders speak the language of citizenship. Strongmen speak the language of ownership. Mnangagwa did not say Zimbabwe belongs to Zimbabweans. He said it belongs to ZANU-PF,” he added.
The analyst highlighted the menacing tone of the President’s words.
“’Let us see where that person will be by sunset.’ That sentence was not metaphorical. It was a threat of state-backed ruthlessness, delivered casually, publicly, and without consequence,” Wafawarowa wrote.
The setting of the speech amplified its message, he noted. The event was in a city governed by the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
“By declaring ownership of the country at that venue, Mnangagwa was not celebrating unity — he was asserting conquest. It was a reminder to local authorities: You may govern here, but we own you,” the analyst contended.
Wafawarowa further suggested that the call for ZANU-PF supporters not to be “shy” revealed a party grappling with diminished legitimacy.
“Why would ZANU-PF supporters need encouragement not to be shy? Because being associated with ZANU-PF has become morally embarrassing,” he argued, pointing to pervasive corruption and a lack of development.
The commentary concluded with a broader warning:
“When a President says only one party ‘builds, rules, and prays’ for a nation, he is excluding millions of citizens from belonging… Zimbabwe does not belong to a party. It belongs to citizens — equal, diverse, protected by law. And any leader who forgets that is not defending the nation. He is confessing his fear of it.”
The President’s office has not issued a clarification or response to the growing criticism of the Christmas Eve remarks.
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