Zanu-PF indaba to observe Covid-19 rules

AHEAD of its annual conference to be held in Bindura, Mashonaland Central, the ruling Zanu-PF party has hinted that it is likely to reduce the number of delegates in line with the Covid-19 regulations.

The 19th Zanu-PF Annual People's Conference will be held in December and yesterday the party's acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa told journalists that preparations for the annual party indaba were going on well.

"As we go forward, we are looking forward to holding our 19th Annual People's Conference whose venue is Bindura and this will take place in December, but the format will take into account Covid-19 regulations and when we get nearer to that date party cadres in all provinces and structures will be informed as to the numbers that will be allowed to attend and the format it will take in order to take into consideration the Covid 19 regulations," he said.

However, as Zimbabwe begins to flatten the curve of the pandemic, the Government is gradually opening the economy, all the while observing the WHO set regulations.

Apart from discussing the easing of the lockdown, which has resulted in the reopening of school examination classes, extension of operating hours for business and re-introduction of inter-city bus operations, the Central Committee was also briefed on the ongoing DCC elections by the party political commissar Victor Matemadanda.

"The emphasis by the political commissar was that there would be no imposition of candidates, there would be no vote buying and that no other nefarious activities will be tolerated. As of now the process of submission of CVs has been completed and they are now in the process of being transmitted to the Political Commissar," Chinamasa.

He said the Commissariat and the Security Departments would carry out the vetting of candidates and warned that those fomenting factionalism and other forms of indiscipline would be punished.

The Central Committee was briefed on the-PFumvudza Concept by Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos. Over three million people have been trained under the programme and will benefit from the Presidential Input Scheme.

Zanu-PF Secretary for External Affairs Simbarashe Mumbengegwi appraised the Central Committee of the recent bilateral meeting between Zanu-PF and the South Africa's ANC. He said the meeting dispelled notions of a crisis in Zimbabwe adding the relations between the two liberation movements remained strong.

Mumbengegwi said Zimbabwe like any other country was facing its challenges which were, however, surmountable.

"As sister parties and former liberation movements it is our responsibility in the process of resolving these challenges which are not of our making but of various situations which have arisen," he said.

"We also agreed that an attack on Zanu-PF by our usual detractors is an attack on the ANC and other liberation movements. An attack on one is an attack on all of us and therefore we must all work in solidarity in order to defeat the agents of regime change," Mumbengegwi said.

Mike Bimha who is the Zanu-PF Secretary for Indigenisation and Empowerment also briefed the Central Committee on the review of the indigenisation and empowerment policy.