Zimbabwe’s ZANU PF Central Committee member and youth League secretary for land reform and resettlement Anastancia Ndhlovu, yesterday told Zambia’s PF officials that “you are going to die in power” because the ruling party has a think tank that explains government policies.

And Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has warned PF youths to manage their political ambitions.

Speaking during a meeting with the PF and ANC youth officials on the sidelines of the Meet the President Dinner yesterday, Ndhlovu who is also Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality said the PF would die in power because it had a think-tank, which made sure that Zambians understood its programs.

Ndhlovu said this after PMRC executive director Bernadette Deka explained the role of her organisation, which she said was to provide an independent opinion, analysis and review of the government and party policies.

“For the party to have a think tank, I can assure you, you are going to die in power. This is very good. It makes sure that the ordinary person understands the work that government is doing in as far as moving the country forward is concerned,” Ndhlovu said.

She added that the ZANU PF had learned something from the Zambian ruling party.

“Sometimes our people revolt against us because they don’t understand what government is doing so we have also learnt something from you,” said Ndhlovu.

And speaking as PF national youth chairman, Kampyongo said there was no catapult to the top.

“Leadership can be at any given age depending on how you manage yourselves. But we must also make sure that we don’t get carried away because ambition management must be a virtue and those that have failed to manage their ambitions have ended up down the drain. So it is always important that as much as we have to realise our potentials, we must appreciate that things must be done in a gradual process,” he said.

“There is no catapult where you just spring from somewhere and you want to be at the apex. It doesn’t work that way. You don’t limit your potential, you compete with elders.”

He said loyalty helped him ascend to higher ranks in the party.

“This ministry I am heading is quite a massive one. But I must say that sometimes mentorship and loyalty pays. The current President made sure that I represented him in serious engagements, which required him to be [there]. But sometimes I thought he was punishing me, I remember assignments which I thought were to crack me down but they have helped me and so deliberately, I thought I can host you here so that as we go back, we shouldn’t be saying the sky is the limit for the youth, it shouldn’t be,” Kampyongo said.

He also advised young people to utilize social media for the advancement of progressive ideas.

“If we don’t do that, believe you me, we shall continue to be arm chair critics and the next person will be the one to sort out our problems, it shouldn’t be that way,” said Kampyongo.

Meanwhile, ANC youth Sifiso Mtsweni described President Lungu as an inspirational leader in the region.

He also commended the Patriotic Front for having a vibrant policy think tank saying its research work was extremely beneficial to the party and country as well.