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Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter

ZANU PF will tomorrow launch an inaugural listening conference in Harare to create a platform where various stakeholders can interface with the party leadership on issues affecting the general public.

The meeting is expected to start at 9am.

It will be attended by Politburo members and other senior party officials.

The intervention is to get and assess issues on the ground.

The conference is meant to listen to the public views on various issues which need to be addressed.

During the process, the stakeholders will contribute while the party leadership listen and take notes on their views.

The contributions will then be forwarded to the Presidium.

Speaking at a press conference at the party headquarters, Zanu PF national political commissar Cde Mike Bimha said the all-stakeholders’ conference will be the first of its kind.

“As you are aware, President Mnangagwa has declared himself a listening President. Following from that, we are also saying that the President is also the President and First Secretary of the party. If he is a listening President, obviously he must also be leading a listening party. Therefore, Zanu PF is a listening party,” said Cde Bimha.

The stakeholders’ conference will create a platform where various stakeholders will interface with the party.

“We want to create a platform where various stakeholders can interface with the party, with the party listening to views from contributions from various stakeholders. It could be groupings, professionals, churches, business organisations.

“We want the party to give time to these groupings to listen to them,” he said.

Cde Bimha said the party leadership will not be debating with them, instead they will only get views from the public.

“When we have this listening party meetings; we are not debating; we are not offering solutions. We are only there to listen to the views of the various stakeholders. After the meeting, we will put all the contributions together and then we will be able to present these to our principals. Some of these contributions will obviously find their way into Government.

“We are not in any way saying that these stakeholders cannot meet ministers, approach Government agencies. They are free to do so.

“As the ruling party, we have an obligation to influence policy, to influence what Government then implements. We can only do so if we are in touch with people,” said Cde Bimha.

The intervention, he said is to get and assess what is on the ground.

“The intervention is for us to be able to get what is on the ground. To listen to the various stakeholders and be able to make sense out of their contributions.

“Our inaugural listening party meeting starts tomorrow. We have invited people from the business sector, mining, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing. Most of them also hold senior position in various business organisations,” he said.

Various meetings will also be held across the country’s 10 provinces.