Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka, Zimpapers Politics Hub
MORE than just an end of year political gathering, the forthcoming Zanu-PF Annual People’s Conference is a supreme policymaking platform where the revolutionary party critically assesses its journey towards Vision 2030.
While the agenda focuses on economic empowerment and value addition, this strategic indaba scheduled for 13 to 18 October at Mutare Polytechnic Pavilion Grounds offers an unparalleled opportunity to relentlessly amplify the call for the unconditional removal of illegal sanctions.
The proximity of the conference to SADC Anti-Sanctions Day (25 October) presents a unique and highly strategic advantage that the party must exploit.
With the critically important SADC Anti-Sanctions Day set to be commemorated regionally just seven days after the conference’s conclusion, the delegates have a mandate to ensure the conference serves as the ultimate national launch-pad for intensified, unified regional action against these punitive imperial machinations.
The seven-day interval allows the Zanu-PF Conference resolutions and detailed deliberations to directly inform, shape, and galvanise the regional commemoration.
Rather than merely reacting to the date, the party should seize the initiative by making the conference the proactive moment that sets the regional agenda.
The resolutions must establish the official national position and provide fresh impetus and technical data to SADC member states, ensuring the regional body’s subsequent call on October 25 is synchronised, forceful, and backed by the weight of a unified national political directive.
This momentum is key to maintaining sustained regional and international pressure.
The conference, bringing together over 4 000 delegates, is the largest single concentration of the Party’s political and intellectual elite.
This massive, unified gathering provides the most powerful internal platform to voice the national grievance against the ruinous economic sabotage perpetuated by Western sanctions.
By dedicating a significant portion of the proceedings to discussing the crippling effects of these restrictive measures — from hindering foreign direct investment to impacting currency stability — the Party can generate a decisive mandate.
The delegates, representing every cell, branch, and province, must ensure the resolutions passed are unambiguous and strongly condemn the continued imposition of these illegal measures, thus transforming the conference venue into the national political headquarters of the anti-sanctions crusade.
This consolidated voice is essential to cut through external propaganda and unify the nation behind the President’s call for self-reliance.
As the ruling party, it should also encourage civil society organisations and various stakeholders to join hands in the relentless call for the lifting of the ruinous illegal sanctions.
The conference theme — “Attainment of Vision 2030 Through Economic Empowerment and Value Addition”, underscores the party’s unwavering commitment to achieving upper-middle-income status by 2030.
It is crucial to highlight that the removal of sanctions will significantly help to properly achieve this vision.
The illegal sanctions, imposed by the United States and other Western countries after Harare embarked on land reforms, have long been blamed for hindering Zimbabwe’s economic progress.
Since their imposition over 20 years ago, Zimbabwe’s economy has lost over US$40 billion in potential revenue and development assistance from multilateral lending institutions.
The ordinary Zimbabweans are suffering the consequences of these measures, despite the embargo being targeted at specific individuals. The removal of sanctions is therefore not only an economic necessity but a humanitarian one.
Despite the sanctions, the country has persevered, with significant development now taking place throughout the country.
Zimbabwe continues to reel under illegal sanctions imposed by the West at the turn of the millennium, yet the Second Republic has put in place economic measures that include the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) to bust the illegal measures.
In the past six years, Zimbabwe has registered huge investment flows in sectors like mining and agriculture, along with a construction boom that has seen local companies involved in the rehabilitation of roads and the expansion of buildings that include the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Hwange Units 7 and 8, construction of the New Parliament, and the Museum of African Liberation, among others.
The Second Republic has also gone ahead with renewing diplomatic ties with the international community and creating new ties with other sister republics.
Ultimately, the delegates’ mission in Manicaland must translate political will into tangible action that empowers the Government’s diplomatic offensive.
By passing clear resolutions that demand sanctions removal and by mobilising the grassroots membership around this agenda, the Conference provides the necessary political ammunition for the national leadership in the ensuing year.
It is through this decisive mandate from the people, expressed via their representatives, that the Second Republic can decisively counter the narrative of isolation and ensure that the economic transformation goals enshrined in Vision 2030 are protected from external interference.
The conference must therefore rise to the occasion, confirming that the struggle for economic sovereignty and the removal of sanctions are inseparable components of the national development agenda.
