Sundaymail Editor
From Tuesday October 22 to Saturday October 26, the ruling party, ZANU PF, will hold the 21st National People’s Conference in Bulawayo. The annual indaba will be held under the theme “Industrialise and Modernise Towards the Attainment of Vision 2030”. Our Political Editor KUDA BWITITI sat down with ZANU PF Secretary-General Dr Obert Mpofu for an update on what to expect from the conference.
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Q: What is the essence of the ZANU PF National People’s Conference?
A: The functions and purpose of the ZANU PF National People’s Conference are provided by Article 6 of our party’s constitution. It is held annually for the purposes of receiving and considering reports of the Central Committee on behalf of Congress. The conference also has the function of reviewing as well as evaluating and supervising the implementation of resolutions and programmes of the Central Committee, the previous National People’s Conference and Congress.
The conference also makes resolutions for implementation by the Central Committee.
It also, where applicable, declares the President of the party elected at Congress as the State presidential candidate of the party.
The conference further has the mandate to exercise any such powers and authority as may be incidental thereto. The National People’s Conference is convened every year in ordinary sessions or at any time as an extraordinary session, in the same manner as Congress.
Q: Some people conflate ZANU PF Annual People’s Conferences with the ZANU PF Congresses. Please explain the difference.
A: Well, the ZANU PF National People’s Conference is different from our Congress. The conference is held every year, whilst our Congress takes place every five years. The Congress, as per our constitution, is the highest decision-making organ within our party, whilst the conference, on the other hand, is for the purposes of receiving the Central Committee report for that particular year, checking the implementation of resolutions, as well as coming up with new resolutions for Government to implement and performing any other functions as articulated by Section 34 of our party constitution.
Q: Which of the party members are entitled to attend the conference?
A: As you may be aware, the National People’s Conference is a constitutional meeting and our constitution, under Article 6 Section 33, stipulates the composition of the conference, and this includes members of the Central Committee; members of the Council of Elders; members of the National Consultative Assembly; members of the National Council of the Women’s League; members of the National Council of the Youth League; members of the Council of the War Veterans, Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees League; members of the Provincial Coordinating Committees, District Coordinating Committees, as shall be determined by the Central Committee from time to time; as well as such members of the District Executive Committees, as shall be determined by the Central Committee from time to time.
Q: Which international delegates are you expecting this year?
A: We have a long list of international delegates that have attended our conferences and congresses before, and this year it is not any different. We have members of sister political parties from our region who will attend, foreign diplomats attached to Zimbabwe, members of our Diaspora districts and affiliate organisations such as the December 12 Movement. The list is pretty long, and this shows ZANU PF’s strong connection with international organisations.
Q: In total, how many delegates are expected to attend this year’s conference?
A: We expect a total of 4 396 party delegates to attend the conference. This is in line with His Excellency the President and First Secretary’s vision to have fewer delegates to come up with more meaningful deliberations.
Q: Please explain further the rationale behind reducing the number of delegates.
A: Yes, this year’s conference will see a reduced number of delegates as opposed to previous conferences.
We are taking the approach of having leaner delegates to allow for more fruitful and practical deliberations.
Leaner delegations are the international gold standard as most conferences of this nature by similar political parties tend to have not more than 3 000 delegates. This will allow for a more focussed conference and enable people to attend to more pressing issues.
Q: What is the programme for the conference; in other words, what is on the menu?
A: The draft programme for the conference is being finalised and will be availed soon. However, I may point out that the 21st ZANU PF National People’s Conference will be more focused on the state of the economy, the party and the welfare of the people.
Q: ZANU PF is aligned with the philosophy that the party is superior to the Government. Please explain how this philosophy will be galvanised by the conference.
A: The principle of party supremacy over Government has always taken centre stage but has been misconstrued by many.
Party supremacy refers to the principal-agent relationship that exists between the party and Government.
The party is the principal as it is the one that forms Government and thus comes up with resolutions that influence policy.
It is this policy and resolutions set by the party that must be translated into actionable projects and programmes by Government acting on behalf of the party.
As always, this philosophy will be galvanised by the conference through the crafting of resolutions that will influence policy which the Government must translate into projects and programmes for implementation with the goal of changing the lives of our people for the better through the attainment of His Excellency President Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030.
Q: How will discussions at the indaba influence the economy?
A: It is our hope that delegates will come up with resolutions for implementation by Government that will have a lasting positive impact on our economy, also drawing from the vision of His Excellency, NDS1 and Vision 2030.
Clearly, the theme of the conference, “Industrialise and Modernise Towards the Attainment of Vision 2030”, shows that we are putting priority on the economy.
Q: What is your message to the ordinary Zimbabwean on how this conference will positively impact his or her plight?
A: The conference offers the opportunity for the party to deliberate on key issues affecting our people.
Thus, the conference will likely come up with resolutions aimed at ensuring that the needs of our people within every sector are met. The ruling party will ensure that the Government fully implements these resolutions for the benefit of our people.
Q: How have resolutions from the last conference been implemented?
A: The Government has been diligently implementing the resolutions from last year’s conference. According to our tracker and implementation matrix, the Government has achieved remarkable progress in terms of implementing the resolutions from last year’s conference and they should be commended for the stellar work which they are putting in.
Q: What stands out from this year’s conference compared to previous conventions?
A: This conference comes at a time when Zimbabwe is making notable strides in all sectors of our economy and society. We are finally making progress towards meeting our goals and aspirations as a nation. So, this year’s conference is poised to come up with resolutions that will cement the considerable growth that we have been experiencing in recent years.
Q: In terms of preparations and logistics, how far have you gone?
A: The preparations for the 21st National People’s Conference are well on course.
In fact, we are at an advanced stage, and we have managed to sort out and put in place all the necessary requirements for successfully holding our conference.
As a matter of fact, this past Thursday, on October 17, the Conference Coordination Committee, led by our national chairman Honourable Oppah Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri-Kashiri, met at the venue of this year’s conference, the ZITF (Zimbabwe International Trade Fair) grounds, to conduct final checks, and we were satisfied with the progress made so far.
We are more than ready to kick-start our conference and it’s all thanks to the guidance offered by His Excellency, our President and First Secretary, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, as well as the efforts made by the various technical teams working on the conference from the party headquarters as well as from the host province, Bulawayo.
We are all set to go ahead smoothly with our conference. We are leaving no stone unturned and no expense has been spared. We will ensure that we deliver a conference that everyone will remember.
Bulawayo province is more than ready to host the entire nation for this year’s conference.
Online Reporter