ZAPU Provincial Executive embarking on a restructuring exercise

In two or three years' time, when ZAPU looks back, reflects and assesses its milestones, it is surely going to credit the meeting which took place yesterday on the 6th September 2014 in Leicester which came up with ground breaking resolutions, to move the Party to the next level.

The ZAPU Europe Provincial Executive Planning meeting saw the Party injecting new vibrant blood in its structures. Mr Arthur Molife, the doyen of ZAPU politics was co-opted as the Vice Chairman, with a specific mandate to work closely with the Mobilisation Portfolio headed by Mr Adi Moyo, to ensure that ZAPU structures are properly revived, boosted, constituted and vibrant.

"When it comes to the Party work you can assign me any work, I will deliver, in the next two years ZAPU will not look the same again, we shall transform the pace of the Party and our single goal is to grow the Party" said Mr Molife in his acceptance speech.

Mr Molife brings the much needed political experience, enthusiasm and foresight and he was drafted in the PEC at a relevant time when the Party has begun gaining momentum and visibility.

Due to the promotion of Mr Siqhelile Ndlovu to the Regional Office, Mr Lindelwe Khabo was elevated to fill in Mr Ndlovu's position of Secretary for Finance. Mr Khabo is taking over a Portfolio which was well managed, transparent and accountable. When Mr Ndlovu took over office, there were no financial management systems in place. Mr Ndlovu managed to devise financial systems for his Portfolio which were so effective and efficient that the party as a whole adopted them.

Mr Khabo's skills set include an academic background in Economics, Finance and Accounting, but above all he is a man who knows how to work with the people due to his wealth of knowledge and natural talent in people's skills.

Very few people ever thought that Mr Christopher Maphosa's team (ZAPU Europe PEC) would go this far let alone achieve so much for the Party. Mr Maphosa and his team have managed to steer the Party through difficult times when membership was starting to retreat due to despondency setting in. However, today, due to patience, foresight and creative leadership, the ZAPU membership is roaring back into life, this enthusiasm has been permeating other structures and infecting them with hope and zeal to propel the Party to its rightful position as the foremost liberation movement which liberated the people of Zimbabwe. The symbiotic relationship between the Party and its members is now palatable and it leaves good taste in the mouth.

Among other resolutions made yesterday, chief among them was the need to restructure the party structures from branches and districts. The meeting acknowledged that the branches were no longer as vibrant as they used to be and therefore the restructuring exercise will enable new talent to emerge and new energy to be unleashed.

A plethora of strategies were adopted, Mr Themba Mthethwa the Secretary for Strategy and Policy, presented his documents, namely the SWOT analysis report and the Strategy and Operational Plan for ZAPU Europe. The SWOT analysis appraised ZAPU as a whole, detailing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The document was candid to the extent that the PEC adopted it and agreed that the document should be adopted for use by the whole Party.  The meeting agreed to focus all its energies and resources in implementing the strategies devised. "Even if we manage to implement one quarter of what is required of us by this plan the Party's fortunes would have been totally changed" said Mr Mthethwa.

When ZAPU was revived in 2008 and started forming branches in the UK in 2009, a large number of people joined, however, despondence quickly set in due to the infighting which was prevalent then; this also led to the exodus of vibrant and talented leaders.  It was resolved that now is the time for everybody to come back home to ZAPU, the ZAPU ship is now steady and slowly but emphatically moving forward.