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Tendai Mugabe and Mashudu Netsianda
The 17th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference roars into life today with preparations for the event at Umzingwane High School, Esigodini, venue of the conference, ending today.

Themed “Zimbabwe Is Open for Business: Peace, unity towards an Upper Middle-Income Economy by 2030”, the conference runs until December 15.

In line with President Mnangagwa’s enunciation that in the Second Republic the party has supremacy over Government, Zanu-PF is expected to come up with key economic decisions to be tabled before Government for implementation.

The conference is the first to be officiated by President Mnangagwa in his capacity as First Secretary and President following his election at the party’s Extraordinary Congress in Harare last year.

The serious business of the conference begins with a Politburo meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at the party’s headquarters in Harare followed by that of the Central Committee at the same venue on Wednesday.

On Thursday, delegates travel to Esigodini, Matabeleland South, for the official opening of the conference on Friday by the party’s First Secretary and President, Cde Mnangagwa.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo confirmed the conference programme to The Herald yesterday, saying several affiliate organisations had been invited to the annual   indaba.

“Preparations are going on well and we are 95 percent complete,” said Cde Khaya Moyo.

“We will have our Politburo meeting on Tuesday, that will be followed by the Central Committee the following day. On Thursday delegates will travel to the conference venue and the President and First Secretary of our revolutionary party, Cde E.D. Mnangagwa, will officially open the conference on Friday,” he said.

“Conference business will spill over into Saturday and delegates will depart on Sunday.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Cde Obert Mpofu told our Bulawayo Bureau that inspite of a few logistical challenges faced by the party, he was hopeful the conference would be a success.

“There is actually tremendous progress which shows that people have been working and we are ready to go, save for one or two areas that need to be addressed,” said Cde Mpofu.

“The rains we have been experiencing have also helped us to identify areas that need urgent attention because of the ground that is not properly levelled, and engineers are now working on that,” he said.

“We are satisfied that the conference is ready to kick off. I must thank the committees that were mandated with developing this project to where it is now, particularly looking at the impressive workmanship we are seeing. Everything was done according to our plans and we are almost 95 percent with the works as far as preparations are concerned.”

Cde Mpofu said the committees tasked with co-coordinating the work had been working round the clock both at national and provincial levels.

“We have been dealing with issues to do with a clinic at the venue which has been fully renovated; roads have been resurfaced and the general servicing of this area will certainly leave it a different place altogether. The access roads have been tarred, facilities such as classrooms and the library have been spruced up and after the conference the facilities will be beneficial to the school and the local community including the province as a whole,” he said.

Cde Mpofu said the conference would consolidate national efforts towards reviving Zimbabwe’s economy, a marked departure from the previous regime where political issues took centre stage.

“We are going to have a conference of its own kind because it will primarily focus on dealing with issues of national importance to our communities and it will be conducted in less than three days, to make sure that time is spent on issues that affect our country. Our President is a man of action and he wants to act more than just listening to things that are already being experienced by Government,” he said.

“We are looking forward to a very progressive and constructive conference and delegates should be assured of state-of-the-art facilities.”

Cde Mpofu urged delegates to be extra-cautious following reports of a suspected cholera outbreak in Gwanda.

He said people should avoid unnecessary contact and desist from carrying foodstuffs.

Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairman Cde Rabelani Choeni said: “We have handed over the conference centre to the party’s national co-coordinating committee. We have finished our work with the exception of a few final touches. As Matabeleland South, we are looking forward to the conference, the first such event in the Second Republic during which the economy will take centre stage and we are thankful to the President for according us an opportunity to host the conference.”