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Kennedy Mavhumashava and Prosper Ndlovu
THE 14th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference starts with a Politburo meeting in Harare tomorrow ahead of the official opening by President Mugabe at the conference venue in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West on Friday.“We will start with a Politburo meeting in Harare on Wednesday afternoon followed by a Central Committee meeting on Thursday at 10am in Chinhoyi,” Zanu-PF National Chairman, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo told Chronicle in an interview yesterday.
“The Politburo was supposed to meet tomorrow (today) but the President is leaving the country to South Africa as we speak to attend a memorial service for Mandela.
“He will join other heads of state at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg to honour the late icon and return home on Wednesday morning,” Cde Khaya Moyo said.
He said delegates, who include representatives from former liberation movements in the region and from across the globe, will start arriving at the conference venue in Chinhoyi on Thursday.
On the same day, said Cde Khaya Moyo, there will be a tree planting programme and a cleaning exercise on the site.
“President Mugabe will officially open the conference on Friday after which we will break into different committees to deliberate on Zim Asset,” he said adding, “the deliberations will continue up to Saturday and we will have the closing session on the evening of the same day.”
Cde Khaya Moyo said economic revival anchored on the new Zanu-PF government’s economic blueprint, Zim Asset, forms the basis of the conference deliberations.
He said: “The focus of the conference will be on our economic blueprint guided by the theme ‘Zim Asset, Growing the Economy for Empowerment and Employment.’”
Zim Asset, a five-year economic plan, seeks to steer economic growth in four strategic clusters, food security and nutrition, social service and poverty, education, infrastructure and utilities and value addition and beneficiation.
Provincial chairmen are looking forward to a successful conference at which the party would celebrate its resounding victory in the July harmonised elections, while at the same time laying the groundwork for the 2018 general polls.
Matabeleland North provincial chairman, Cde Richard Moyo said Zanu-PF has no time to rest as it already has Zim Asset to implement.
“We are celebrating but there is a lot to be done. In January, as Matabeleland North we will start mobilising for 2018. We want to reclaim the seats we lost,” he said.
The provincial delegation of more than 300 people, leaves for Chinhoyi on Thursday, he said. Masvingo provincial chairman Cde Callisto Gwanetsa said his executive was geared for the conference which they expect to provide greater impetus for the implementation of Zim Asset.
Cde John Mvundura, the Manicaland provincial chairman said: “We are meeting for the first time at conference after the elections which we won resoundingly. But we appreciate that we won because of the promises we made as stipulated in our manifesto.
“We take it as our bible for the next five years and we are saying what we promised as a party must be implemented. We now have Zim Asset which is derived from the manifesto. It says power to the people, indigenisation, employment creation, value addition and so on.
“So we expect a happy conference which lays the framework for party and government activities going forward.”
Cde Khaya Moyo said the conference will end with a musical gala in honour of the 1987 Unity Accord with delegates departing on the following day.
He urged party members to uphold unity, and direct their efforts towards economic development, especially after the holding of provincial elections whose results have been confirmed by the Politburo.
Cde Khaya Moyo was the guest of honour at the ruling party’s fund-raising dinner dance held in Bulawayo on Saturday to raise money for the conference. He donated $5,000 to Bulawayo province at the event and pledged the same amount each to Matabeleland North and South provinces.
“I decided to be part of the fundraising programme and to demonstrate that we must fundraise with the spirit that we must lead by example,” he said.
The party’s 10 provinces were last weekend finalising their preparations for the national conference by completing the process of setting up provincial executive committees, weeks after they elected chairpersons for the main, youth and women’s wings.
Matabeleland North, Masvingo and Matabeleland South concluded their inter-district conferences at the weekend when they elected provincial executive members and came up with resolutions for the national conference.
In Bulawayo the provincial vice-chairman in the main wing is Cde Christopher Dube. In Matabeleland North Cde Nelson Sibanda from Hwange district landed the vice chair post while Cde Clifford Sibanda from Bubi retained the secretary for administration portfolio.
Cde Martin Khumalo was elected political commissar with Cde Stars Mathe from Nkayi elected treasurer.
The information and publicity portfolio was won by Cde Wilson Tshuma from Umguza while Cde Jonathan Mathuthu now heads the indigenisation portfolio.
Cde Siyangaphi Muzambwa is the new head of the security portfolio with Cde Dora Msimanga from Tsholotsho as vice chair in the women’s league.
In its resolutions Matabeleland North called for the speedy completion of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, drilling of more boreholes and building of dams as well as completion of outstanding road projects such as Bulawayo-Nkayi, Bulawayo-Tsholotsho and Tsholotsho-Lupane roads.
In Masvingo, Cde Paradzai Chakona was elected vice-chair while the finance portfolio went to Cde Wilson Makonya. Cde Denford Masiya got the secretary of security post, Cde Kenneth Sibanda (commissariat), Cde Goddard Dunira (information and publicity) and a Cde Madondo (administration).
Online Reporter