admin
Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THEY came, they converged and they learnt from Matabeleland North Province. A total of 6, 500 Zanu-PF delegates attended the party’s 15th People’s Conference which ended on Saturday in Victoria Falls and left admiring the host province Matabeleland North Province’s example of unity and discipline.
President Mugabe, while closing the conference, said he was proud of the host province.
“Matabeleland North I’m proud of you, keep your secret to yourself,” said President Mugabe who is the party’s First Secretary.
Matabeleland North chairman Cde Richard Moyo, however, bared the secret to The Chronicle.
“We’re elated as a province. We feel we’re the best after the President’s sentiments.
“As a province our secret is unity, respect for each other and leadership, humility and discipline. That’s our secret,” said Cde Moyo in an interview yesterday.
He said the party members were united towards development of the party and the province.
“We want to thank the support we got from our Politburo and Central Committee members in the province and all delegates from day one until the last day of the conference. We talk of the discipline and the way the province welcomed delegates,” said Cde Moyo.
“You heard the President saying we keep our secret. We’ve no factionalism in the province. As a chairman I’m not there to divide people but to unite them. That’s why we don’t have factionalism.
“Our mandate is to push for development guided by what the Central Committee and Politburo say. I hope they learnt something as much as we also learnt a lot from the interaction and the wise words from President Mugabe encouraging us to be a responsible and respectful people.”
The conference started on Monday and ended on Saturday.
During the conference, President Mugabe fervently called for unity, discipline and respect for each other saying respecting fellow party members does not destroy one’s integrity.
President Mugabe, whose addresses were passionate about the need to stamp out factionalism and indiscipline, described the conference as one of the party’s most successful.
“We were all thinking, all working, all struggling to make this two-day conference a success, so as we leave, I’ve no doubt in my mind that this 15th National People’s Conference has been a very successful one, one of the most successful conferences we’ve ever had,” said President Mugabe in his closing speech.
He castigated factionalism, tribalism, nepotism and corruption, saying the party and country would not go forward with these vices and when people pull in opposite directions.
Provincial chairpersons also made promises to wrest back all seats that are with the MDC-T in the next harmonised elections.
A total of 56 diplomats attended the event.
The party’s national political commissar, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, also denounced indiscipline when he gave the state of the party address.
On Saturday night, the party organised a music gala which took place at Chinotimba Stadium to give residents of the resort town a treat and “a feel of why Zanu-PF is called ‘the people’s party.’”
Delegates left the resort town yesterday. Some lingered around to visit the world famous Rainforest and the Victoria Falls Bridge before leaving.
derick.khumalo