Staff Reporter|Former ZANU PF youth leader Ace Lumumba says that he will not be contesting elections in the 2018 elections in the banner of his new political party, Viva Zimbabwe, because his character is too tainted.
Lumumba uttered the confusing remarks while officially launching his new youth political party in Harare yesterday morning.
The controversial politician said he enjoyed too much money in the hands of ZANU PF at a very tender age that much that he feels he will not be the best person to stand up and contest elections to lead the country anytime soon.
“I was only 23 when ZANU PF introduced me to its system of corruption. You can imagine a 23 year old being given a million dollars and resources to do as he pleases? That’s what I went through,” he said.
“In ZANU PF you would just click and everything is delivered and those are the things that destroyed this country,” he added.
Asked why then he was forming a political party if he was not going to contest elections, Lumumba said that he will lead it to give young politicians a chance to contest elections against ZANU PF while rebranding his image which was tainted by ZANU PF.
Lumumba lamented at ZANU PF “shefs” who use young people to promote their personal gains. He said this calling on the young people in the country to stand up and refuse to be used by ZANU PF and be the new leaders of the country.
“ZANU PF is very good at using us young people to fill up their rallies and push their agendas for nothing. This is now the time that we must take a stance and refuse to be used,” he said.
Speaking to a loud cheer from the predominantly university students at the press conference, Lumumba said the ZANU PF government has failed to deliver a future for the young people turning university graduates into vendors.
He took swipe at President Robert Mugabe for promising young Zimbabweans two million jobs he has failed to deliver. He warned the president to brace himself for a heavy fight from the young people of Viva Zimbabwe.
Former Vice President Joyce Mujuru who also left ZANU PF to form her own party the Zimbabwe People First was also not spared the wrath as she was accused of retaining the ZANU PF mentality of imposing her will on people.
“I was shocked to hear Mujuru announcing that she was forming a new political party but already carrying a party manifesto which she is imposing on people. That’s an old way of doing things,” he said.
According to him Viva Zimbabwe will draw a manifesto from ideas brought through by its members.
In an interview after the press conference, interim party Secretary General, Agent Gumbo said that the youth party is coming in to usher a new dimension into the politics of the country whereby the young people who are the future of the country will have a decision on how the country should be run. He defended Lumumba’s attack of President Mugabe describing it as exactly what the young people of Zimbabwe are feeling.
“We will not apologise for the presumed insult that Lumumba is said to have lashed at Mugabe because what he said is exactly what every young Zimbabwean is saying to Mugabe deep in their hearts just that they do not have the guts to say it. There is now a sudden out cry because one brave person has said it,” he said.
Midway through his otherwise impressive speech, Lumumba shocked people attending his press conference when he threw an F word insult at President Mugabe.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Lumumba was whisked away by state security agents. ZimEye.com has followed Lumumba up and the upcoming article will reveal his whereabouts.