By Margaret Kamba
Yesterday's National Assembly of the ZANU PF Youth League revealed a father figure in the First Secretary and President, His Excellency President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa I have never seen before.
Here is a man I have grown to understand through his messages and what I saw yesterday was a man concerned about his children.
The Youth League is the Party’s vanguard, tomorrow's future and deducing from his speech, President Mnangagwa is well aware of what today's Youth League is up to.
To any youth who cares about their father and his well being, they would heed the teachings. The message was clear, shun corruption, work honestly and hard, develop skills, and have ideological orientation. It would be very unfortunate to find this group that has been strongly warned doing otherwise.
"I urge you to embrace the values that sustain business success and growth diversity. These include discipline, integrity, innovation, adaptation, and resilience. There are no shortcuts to business success. I urge you, therefore, to understand the importance of processes and systems, create lasting brands, manage resources wisely, and be accountable to the business structures you put in place," President Mnangagwa said.
"Continue to shun dishonesty, all forms of corruption, quick-fix mentalities and the temptation to make "easy money". Rise above the dependency syndrome and become creators, not mere consumers; builders, not beggars.
"You, youths of today, must heed the enduring moral compass outlined in our wartime song, Nzira dzeMasoja. Do not exploit unsuspecting citizens in all your business endeavors or put the Party name into disrepute. Tinodya cheziya. Kungwavha-ngwavha muchitorera ruzhinji rweZimbabwe mari nenzira dzisina kunaka, hatizvitenderi se Musangano we ZANU PF. Musangano wevanhu. We must serve the people, not the people serving us.
"The future of our country depends on your mindsets, focus, respect for national ethos and determination as the vanguard of our Party and the future leaders of our nation. The nation deserves a Youth League that stands tall and proud on the global stage; a Youth League that protects and guards our sovereignty, independence and freedom; a League that does not merely chant slogans but provides leadership in production and productivity, innovation and hard-honest work across all sectors, at every level."