Zanu-PF starts accrediting delegates for Congress

ZANU-PF Matabeleland provinces have started accrediting delegates who will attend the party's Extra- Ordinary Congress starting in Harare on Tuesday.

The Special Congress will begin on Tuesday with a Politburo meeting followed by a Central Committee meeting on Wednesday. Delegates from provinces will arrive on Thursday to attend the Congress official opening ceremony on Friday before the closing ceremony on Saturday.

The Special Congress is expected to endorse the recalling of former President Robert Mugabe from the party and the confirmation of President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the First Secretary and President following his nomination by the Central Committee on November 19.

Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Christopher Sibanda yesterday said the province would today accredit delegates at the Provincial Headquarters, Davies Hall.

"Starting tomorrow at 8AM we will be accrediting delegates who will attend the congress. The accreditation will be closed on Sunday morning. All the Provincial Co-ordinating Committee members will be accredited, with five members from affiliate organisations such as war veterans, ex-detainees and higher and tertiary students also being accredited," said Sibanda.

He urged party members to be disciplined during the accreditation process.

"The Special Congress is an important meeting so those who are not supposed to attend the congress should just stay away. We have put up security measures to ensure that everything is conducted in an orderly manner," he said.

Zanu-PF Matabeleland North provincial chairman Richard Moyo said the province completed its accreditation last weekend.

He did not disclose the number of delegates that have been accredited, saying he did not have the figures off hand.

Matabeleland South Province has accredited 248 party members who are going to attend the party's extra-ordinary congress.

In an interview, Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairman, Rabelani Choeni, said party district members, NCA and provincial members have been accredited.

"As a province we have accredited 248 party members that will be attending the congress in Harare. We expect 20 members from Matobo to be accredited in Bulawayo as they missed out on the process while it was being conducted in the province. Any other party members who didn't make it will be accredited in Bulawayo.

"We held our accreditation on Wednesday and Thursday. On the first day the accreditation team was in Plumtree where 76 party members were accredited.

On Thursday the team was in Gwanda where 172 members were accredited. As a province we selected two central points where all districts were converging for accreditation," he said.

Choeni said the accreditation process had been conducted in an orderly manner and they had scheduled their inter-district meeting for today.

"Although we didn't reach the anticipated target the accreditation process went well. We will be holding an inter-district meeting tomorrow where we will be coming up with resolutions for the congress.

"As a province we are expected to contribute 10 cattle towards the congress and we have already acquired them. We are also expected to contribute $100 000 and we are in the process of mobilising these funds. Preparations for the congress are in full swing," he said.

Choeni said the province had been allocated seven buses that were going to ferry party members to Harare.