By Margaret Kamba 

ZANU PF Secretary General, Cde Advocate Jacob Mudenda has expressed gratitude to the Party’s President and First Secretary, His Excellency, President Emerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for recognizing long serving staff members.

Speaking at the awards ceremony at the Party headquarters in Harare, Cde Mudenda highlighted that this historical event must never die.

“Let me pay my deepest gratitude to our leader, Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who when we presented to him the idea of saying thank you to the staff, he did not hesitate. He blessed it. Without him, this moment would not have taken place," Advocate Mudenda said.

"One question that may be asked is, "Why these long service awards? In our vernacular languages, when something good has been done to you and for you, one word is Tinotenda. Siyabonga. Twalumba. Zikomo. In all our African languages.

"These service awards are an expression of our gratitude to all our staff. You are the engine that gives power to the operations of our revolutionary Party. 

"The engine must be oiled in order for it to function effectively. This is the oiling and watering that we are planting this 27 January 2026."

He added that the staff members are equal and important, encouraging them to respect each other.

"There is no one in the leadership of our our workforce that is better than the other. You are important. I don't want people who look down upon others. We must respect each other because we are human beings who deserve respect and dignity. We are equal in the eyes of God."

Politburo members who were part of the event were the Deputy Secretary General Cde Mike Nyambuya, Secretary for War Veterans League Cde Douglas K Mahiya, Secretary for Gender and Culture Cde Tendi Mukusha and Cde Tendai Chirau, Deputy Secretary National Security.