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“We are a colossal party; let us keep the momentum. The people should always come first in all that we do. We are a people’s party, a listening party and a party which serves the people wholeheartedly. We are a servant leadership. Let us never lose this rich character of our party.”

These were the words of President Mnangagwa as he opened Zanu-PF’s 18th Annual National Conference in Goromonzi yesterday.

Those words captured the ethos of the ruling party, which is what makes it an enduring force in Zimbabwean and world politics.

It is a party of mass mobilisation with strong structures. It knows its membership and is able to keep connected with them.
Once a year, it brings the leaders together in a selected province, rotationally, where they are galvanised and energised to go and serve the people. Come election time, it sweeps to victory when the rest of the world, misinformed by social media, is expecting a different result. Then comes the usual allegations of rigging.

Yet most of the work is done through functional structures that are reviewed and restructured from time-to-time. A clear message is sent and the supporters are kept informed, not through social media, but through their leaders.
Yesterday, thousands of the party’s delegates and invited guests gathered at Goromonzi High School.

The who-is-who of Zimbabwean politics, business and the diplomatic corps and everyone who matters was there. Even the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) was represented at the highest level.

One could feel it: Zanu-PF is a colossal party, which is on an upward trajectory, even in the midst of economic difficulties.
One cannot afford to ignore it. It is the party in Government and whatever the delegates resolve in Goromonzi, will direct the course of the country in 2020.

Fortunately, the party decided that this year’s conference should focus on the economy under the theme: “Mechanise, Modernise and Grow the Economy Towards Vision 2030”, as it pursues the vision enunciated by President Mnangagwa to attain a middle income economy by 2020.

One of his deputies, Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, openly declared that in the Second Republic “the economy comes first before politics.” And the focus is clear: productivity, productivity and productivity.

It is clear from the President’s speech that he intends to use this year’s conference to send a message, through the delegates, to the provinces, districts, right down to the cells, that the only way out of the economic quagmire is production.

He even departed from his prepared speech to quote the Bible in the Book of Genesis, in what he called God’s inaugural speech, which called on mankind to work the land and produce.

In his prepared speech, he said: “As we journey on the path towards economic prosperity and growth, the party must be in the forefront of encouraging maximum productivity across all sectors, always inculcating a culture of unity, love and harmony among all our people. We are proceeding with this agenda, there is no turning back.”

“Let this 18th National People’s Conference, therefore, show greater commitment and urgency to deliver economic empowerment for our people, especially the youths and women as well as jobs where our people live, modern infrastructure, health, education, housing and other social amenities.”

Today, the delegates will spend time debating the call to production and to serve the people. And through its cadres that it deploys in different arms of Government, parastatals and State enterprises, its objectives will be achieved.
The question is what will the party resolve around the following critical issues:

Tackling corruption, with the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Urban State Land likely to be informative to the delegates.

Problem of multiple farms, with the Land Audit giving them pointers.

Energy sector, which is an enabler of productivity and growth

Development projects, which are an election clincher. What will they resolve around construction of roads, bridges, houses, hospital and schools.

What will they say about agriculture, especially the issue of moving away from rain-fed farming to irrigation.

And most interestingly, what will they say about the manufacturing sector, where jobs can be created once agriculture is ticking again.

And of course, mining and tourism will be of interest to the delegates.

They are also likely to insist on more social safety nets to cushion the people from the high cost of living.

What is clear from the conference is that as long as Zanu-PF remains focused and united, it is likely to continue dominating

Zimbabwe’s politics and be the governing party for the foreseeable future.