Herald Reporter
ALL is set for Zanu-PF’s 13th Annual National Peoples Conference scheduled to begin in Gweru tomorrow. The conference, to be held under the theme: “Indigenise, Empower, Develop and Create

Employment”, is set to run from December 4 to 9.
Zanu-PF national spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo said all was in place for a “resounding conference” that would set the tone for harmonised elections set for March next year.

“Everything is now in place for the conference. We are through with accreditation of delegates that was done in provinces. For the few who were not accredited in their provinces, they should come for accreditation in Gweru on 4 and 5 of December.

“We are hopeful that the construction work at the conference centre will be complete before the official opening.

“President Mugabe toured the conference venue on Saturday and he was also impressed with progress made so far,” he said.

He said the conference would begin with a Politburo meeting tomorrow in Harare followed by the Central Committee on Wednesday.

Thursday will be the travelling day for the official opening of the conference on Friday by the party’s President and First Secretary, Cde Mugabe.

Cde Gumbo said it was the party’s tradition to hold Politburo and Central Committee meetings at the party’s national headquarters before proceeding to the main conference.

He said tomorrow’s Politburo meeting would finalise the conference programme and agenda.
“We are meeting tomorrow and that is where we are going to have the final programme of the conference. President Mugabe will open the conference on Friday after which we will go into the agenda of the conference,” he said.

Cde Gumbo said they had finalised preparations for the conference and he was hopeful that the conference centre that is under construction in Gweru – 10 kilometres along Mvuma Road would be complete before Friday’s official opening. Cde Gumbo said Zanu-PF had invited all Sadc member-states and former liberation movements to grace the conference.

Although Cde Gumbo did not disclose issues that would be discussed at the conference, sources intimated that rules for primary elections and the Constitution-making process would be discussed.

The state of the economy is also expected to feature on the main agenda.
Zanu-PF is expected to emerge stronger after the conference as it prepares for next year’s harmonised elections.

The conference comes at a time all the party’s 10 provinces and the women’s and youth leagues have unanimously endorsed President Mugabe as the presidential candidate for the watershed elections next year.

More than 5 000 delegates from the country’s 10 provinces are expected to attend the conference.
Some of the invited delegates would be accommodated in schools and colleges amid reports that accommodations facilities including hotels and lodges were fully booked in and around Gweru.