Zanu-PF to establish policy think-tank

ZANU-PF is set to establish a think-tank that will research on policies that the party intends to implement to avoid implementing programmes that may negatively impact on the economy.

In an interview, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu said the research department would enable the party to investigate the pros and cons of any policy before implementation.

Mpofu said in the past Zanu-PF has implemented some decisions without properly assessing their impact to the general public and the economy.

"We are talking of a research and development organ within the party that will assist the party on issues that require well informed positions of the party. So that is quite an essential instrument of management, research and development," said Mpofu.

He said Zanu-PF wants to avoid implementing policies that can end up backfiring on the party. Mpofu cited Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment as one of the policies which, due to little research, ended up creating problems for the party and promoting corruption.

"A lot of decisions were said to be coming from the party when in some cases they were not. No one would challenge them because it would not be a researched position.

"You see even on indenisation (policy) you will remember that people would extort shareholding from companies under the guise that they were implementing the Indigenisation law. Our department will guide on each and every policy decision which is incorporated within our manifesto and the decision that the President has guided the party on," said Mpofu.

Last year in December, the Government amended the 51-49 percent clause in the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act which had seen some unscrupulous people duping foreign investors by gaining major shareholdership in their companies. He said Zanu-PF would be run like a modern organisation making decisions based on research.

Mpofu said Zanu-PF under President Mnangagwa has achieved stability which will propel the party in its implementation of its programmes. He said factionalism that rocked the party in the old order had become toxic for Zanu-PF as it bred corruption.

"Because of factionalism a lot of things were done in the name of the party and that actually impeded programmes of Government and even the party itself. You will recall that we had a lot of promises that were made to the youth and others that land will be made available to the people but the land belongs to the State," Mpofu said.

In 2016, Bulawayo youths were conned when they paid money to the Urban Development Corporation (UDCORP) for residential stands at Umvutshwa on the outskirts of the city but it later turned out that the land was owned by a private player.

The former Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Mr Saviour Kasukuwere was at the centre of the Umvutshwa land issue which was later abandoned. Mpofu said Zanu-PF would co-operate with Government's Land Commission in addressing issues of individuals who abused the party's name to illegally grab land. He said the restructuring of the party that has resulted in some of the senior officials taking full positions in the party would strengthen Zanu-PF.

"The new members who are coming to join us are across racial considerations. We have quite a number of whites who are coming to Zanu-PF and we continue to get requests from other races who want to join us. That is why I think the fact that we are now full-time, we will be able to deal with these issues which need to be dealt with as expeditiously as possible," Mpofu said.