Zanu-PF indaba roars into life Dr Chombo
Cde Chombo

Cde Chombo

Felex Share and George Maponga

Zanu-PF’s 16th Annual National People’s Conference kicks off today, with the Politburo meeting at the party’s headquarters in Harare, followed by the Central Committee tomorrow.President Mugabe, who is the Zanu-PF First Secretary and President, will open the conference in Masvingo on Friday. Zanu-PF secretary for Administration Cde Ignatius Chombo yesterday said all was on course for the indaba whose theme is “Moving with Zim-Asset in Peace and Unity’’.

“We have a Politburo meeting tomorrow (today) and this marks the beginning of the conference as it gets everyone on course in preparation for the gathering in Masvingo.

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“On Wednesday, we are going to have the meeting of the Central Committee and Thursday is the travelling day. The conference will be officially opened on Friday and Saturday will be a busy day encompassing discussions, reports and the closing ceremony.”

He said today’s Politburo meeting would mainly focus on the state of preparedness.

“It’s all about seeing if we are ready for the big indaba,” Cde Chombo said. “I can confirm that we are ready, everything is in place and the agenda has been prepared.”

Deliberations at the conference are expected to centre on the economy, particularly progress made on implementing the Government economic blueprint, Zim-Asset. Cabinet ministers will be required to make presentations that are Zim-Asset-linked to track progress in line with goals and objectives outlined in the economic blueprint.

Delegates and party members at the grassroots — who make resolutions used to formulate the conference agenda — have also called on the ruling party to deal with corruption and factionalism at the event.

Calls to deal decisively with corruption follow allegations levelled against some Cabinet Ministers with the recent case being that of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, who stands accused of embezzling $430 000 from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).

The funds were siphoned using companies belonging to Prof Moyo’s deputy, Dr Godfrey Gandawa.

Other party members have also been defying Politburo directives on issues such as the abuse of social media and Zanu-PF delegates want an end to these shenanigans.

Cde Chombo said on the pre-conference resolutions submitted by the 10 provinces, President Mugabe’s endorsement as Zanu-PF’s 2018 Presidential candidate was unanimous. On Sunday, Cde Chombo said the scandalous “Mafioso resolution”, which was aimed at stripping President Mugabe of his power to appoint Vice-Presidents, was not on the agenda.

He described the resolution, pushed by Mashonaland Central acting provincial chairperson Cde Dickson Mafios as “a lone voice.”

With regards to logistics, about 7 000 delegates have been accredited for the gathering. Among the delegates will be members of the Politburo, Central Committee, National Constitutional Assembly, students, provincial executive members, district officials, representatives from war veterans, war collaborators and ex-detainees and Zanu-PF’s foreign branches in Johannesburg, and the United Kingdom.

Work on some structures at the conference venue that needed final touches had been completed by the end of the day yesterday setting the stage for the start of the indaba.

Outstanding work on the toilet built at the venue by the Friends of Dr Joshua Nquabuko Nkomo Trust had been completed by day end yesterday together with finishing touches on access roads to and from the Showgrounds.

Accreditation of security personnel together with the media and other outstanding dignitaries was being done at Masvingo polytechinic.

Zanu-PF Masvingo acting provincial chairman Cde Amasa Nhenjana, said the province was ready to host the week-long conference adding that everything was now in place for the indaba. He said they expected delegates to start trooping into Masvingo today.

“We are now ready for the conference and I am happy that everything from the tents where the main deliberations will take place together with kitchens for all the provinces are now ready and we are able to receive all the delegates coming for the conference, everything is now in place,’’ Cde Nhenjana said.

‘’We have enough food in stock to feed all the delegates coming to our conference and I am also happy that delegates from every province now know where they are supposed to sleep and accommodation for every delegate is there and ready.”

The ruling party in Masvingo managed to mobilise nearly 7 000 beds for the delegates to the conference who will be accommodated in hotels, lodges, colleges, universities and schools in and around Masvingo city.

Almost all the hotels and lodges in the city have been fully booked for the duration of the conference. Some Masvingo homeowners were also bracing for brisk business by renting out their houses to those who fail to access hotel accommodation. Boreholes have been drilled to augment water supplies from Masvingo City Council.

A state-of-the-art toilet was also nearing completion to add on to the close to 150 mobile toilets that will be in place. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborations Association (Ziliwaco) Trust has joined other affiliate organisations in endorsing President Mugabe as the party’s sole candidate for the 2018 harmonised elections.

Speaking ahead of the conference the organisation said it was behind the 2014 one centre of power principle in Zanu-PF which gives President Mugabe the mandate to appoint his deputies and Politburo members.

“Ziliwaco Trust has trust and confidence in President Mugabe and we believe in the one centre of power doctrine agreed in 2014,” the Trust said in a statement.

“Any person, organisation or association that tries to trim the powers of the appointing Vice Presidents or any portfolio in the party is against the President and Zanu-PF. Ziliwaco shall jealously defend the revolution which was fought by our parents. Our reasons for defending the one centre of power principle are that the President will only be the chief exponent and defender of the party, its constitution, policies, leadership and disciplinary principles.”

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