Zanu-PF conference ready to roll

ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu yesterday said all is set for the 17th Annual National People's Conference in Esigodini, Matabeleland South province with civil works having been completed ahead of the commencement of the indaba today.

The conference, which runs from 10 to 15 December under the theme: "Zimbabwe Is Open for Business: Peace, Unity towards an Upper Middle-Income Economy By 2030," is expected to attract about 5 000 delegates drawn from the country's 10 provinces.

Mzingwane High School is the venue of the annual indaba with today's Politburo meeting marking commencement of the annual indaba. Mpofu said despite a few challenges that the party had endured in mobilising resources, he was confident they would witness one of the most successful conferences in the history of Zanu-PF.

"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. The rains that we have been receiving have also helped us to identify some of the 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 that 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."

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

"We have been dealing with issues to do with the clinic at the venue which has been fully renovated, roads have been resurfaced and the general servicing of this area will certainly leave this area 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.

Mpofu said the conference would consolidate national efforts towards reviving Zimbabwe's economy, a marked departure to the previous regime where political issues, particularly factional fighting, 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 just 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. The conference is starting on Tuesday and runs until Saturday.

"We are starting with the Politburo meeting then the Central Committee meeting, which will be held in Harare and then the conference itself officially starts on Friday to Saturday with delegates expected to arrive on Thursday."

Mpofu also 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 foodstuff to the venue.

"Cooked food will be availed to every delegate and although we have been advised by the medical experts that the three identified suspected cases of cholera seem not to have been confirmed, we continue to urge delegates to avoid unnecessary contact with each other in light of that development," he said.

Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Matabeleland South, Rabelani Choeni, said: "We have handed over the conference centre to the party's national co-coordinating committee. We have finished our work with exception of just 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 such an opportunity to host the conference."

Party President and First Secretary Emmerson Mnangagwa will headline proceedings at the conference, following ratification of his leadership at last year's Extra-Ordinary Congress. The conference follows the party's thumping victory in the July 2018 harmonised elections.