The ruling party, ZANU PF, is gearing up for a weeklong indaba — the 23rd National People’s Conference — which will take place in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, this week. Delegates are expected to take stock of programmes and performance over the past year, while setting the political and organisational agenda for the coming year. Ahead of the conference, Zimpapers Politics Hub reporter JOSEPH MADZIMURE interviewed ZANU PF National Political Commissar CDE MUNYARADZI MACHACHA to assess preparations for the indaba, as well as reflect on key developments in the party over the past year.
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Q: Ahead of the 23rd ZANU PF National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi, how would you describe the current state of the party across provincial, district and other low-level structures?
A: The party structures across all provinces are vibrant; they are strong.
Yes, we still have gaps here and there, which we will need to fill through co-options. We are also busy with the restructuring of our cell and village structures, as well as cleaning up our database so that we have solid village/cell structures that are verifiable and authentic.
So, that is the task we have been concentrating on over the last 10 months, but we will be moving very quickly to strengthen those grassroots structures through a process of electing executive members, a task which I think will begin in January.
Otherwise, right across all provinces, ZANU PF is strong; it’s vibrant, it’s visible on the ground and that is testified by the resounding successes which we are scoring in all by-elections that have taken place so far.
That is a clear indication that the party is alive and strong.
Q: When are you going to have internal provincial elections?
A: I am not sure about when, but what I can assure you is that we will continue to strengthen our party structures; we are determined to increase our membership, which is now in excess of four million.
Our target is to go beyond six million members, and that is the primary task before us. Whether or not there shall be any other restructuring exercises for our structures, I leave that to the legal processes that are underway.
If, for instance, the party aligns its party constitution to the national Constitution, that may push the dates for restructuring forward towards 2030.
So, we will wait and see what decision the party will take and that decision will guide us if we are even going to have a Congress.
Q: Hosting delegates from all 10 provinces is a major undertaking. What is the status of conference preparations such as transport, venue, accommodation and road infrastructure leading to the venue in Chinhoyi?
A: We are now 100 percent complete.
All the work that needed to be done has been done.
The conference hall and all the supporting structures are in place.
The renovations on the accommodation side at the venue have been done and have been completed, with new beds and linen purchased and already in place. So, I can safely say that, as far as the conference is concerned and the state of preparedness is concerned, we are as good as done.
We are 100 percent ready.
In terms of road infrastructure, that work is still continuing, especially the filling of potholes and levelling of road verges, that is still proceeding.
But we are hopeful that, given the last few days left, we should be able to complete that work in time.
Otherwise, other infrastructure requirements, construction of water purification plants, provision of water, provision of electricity, we are ready; we are done. All our members will be accommodated.
According to the approved list of delegates, their accommodation has been secured. But we continue to receive lots and lots of requests for accreditation from those who want to attend the conference as guests; however, we don’t cater for their accommodation. They must find their own accommodation.
They can drive in, attend the official opening and drive back because we cannot provide accommodation for them.
Q: How does the party select members who attend the conference?
A: That is determined by the Central Committee, and the list is then provided to the provinces.
The number of delegates who shall attend is a preserve of the Central Committee.
Q: How many delegates are expected to attend this year’s conference.
A: Over 3 280 will be coming and they will be the official delegates to the conference, with the right to debate issues and vote, should there be a need.
So, those are the people with full rights to participate in the conference.
Others are just coming in as invited guests.
They can only listen to the official opening session but cannot participate in the plenary sessions.
Q: This year’s theme, “Moving from Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Empowerment Towards Vision 2030”, highlights the importance of implementation of resolutions from the last indaba. Looking back at the 2025 National People’s Conference, what is your assessment on the implementation of resolutions from the last conference?
A: We have done extremely well.
You are aware that last year and the year before we had Resolution No. 1, which was calling on the extension of the current term of office of His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, to 2030 and also extending the lifespan of the current Parliament to 2030. That resolution has already been implemented through CAB3 (Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill), which is now an Act of Parliament and, therefore, fully implemented and now being operationalised.
We are now dealing with consequential amendments to both the national Constitution and the party constitution so that there is alignment with the CAA3 (Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Act).
Q: What percentage of the resolutions from the last conference would you say have been implemented either in part or in full by the Government as was directed by the party?
A: Again, I would put it at over 80 percent.
Remember, there are some that are not short or medium term, especially those to do with infrastructure development or some structural changes that require a couple of years to implement.
But what I can say is that most of our resolutions either have been completed or are work in progress, depending on the timelines that are required before completion.
Q: Which specific resolutions stand out as major success stories over the past year?
A: I would say all of them are equally important in their different ways.
We have had resolutions to do with the economy and I am sure the current growth of the economy — the expansion that is taking place in manufacturing, agriculture and tourism, among other sectors — bears testimony to the strength of our party.
There are many other resolutions that we made, calling for certain policy decisions to be made by the Government, which have resulted in the unprecedented successes that we are all enjoying today.
But most importantly on governance, I should mention the enactment of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Act Number 3, which was a major success.
There have also been several others in sectors such as social services.
I can say that we are walking the talk.
We are not just making resolutions, but we are following up and implementing them.
As a result, the pace of development is much faster and we are having tangible results and developments all over the country.
Q: How does this year’s theme align with the Government’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the broader Vision 2030 targets
A: What are resolutions all about? Results!
What is NDS2 all about? It’s about results! It’s about innovation. It is about expanding our industrial base, placing industries where people are, where people live through rural industrialisation.
It’s about value addition, turning our raw materials into semi-processed or finished goods.
So, our resolutions are actually driving the NDS2 programme to be implemented as quickly as possible so that we can achieve the results we so desire of being an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Q: What do the general public expect from this year’s conference?
A: They should expect that we will come out of the conference in Chinhoyi a more solid and united party, well-focused and driving the development agenda at a much faster pace than before. They should expect that the conference will also energise our members to restructure the party at its most foundational levels, strengthen our party, grow the membership of the party and make ZANU PF a formidable party.
