Zanu-PF Congress to confirm Mnangagwa's candidature

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is set to be endorsed as Zanu-PF's Presidential candidate for next year's harmonised elections at the 7th Zanu-PF National Congress that begins on Wednesday in Harare.

The theme of the Congress, which ends on Saturday, is "Building a Prosperous Zimbabwe: Leaving no one and no place behind".

Party officials said preparations are almost complete, with those tasked with organising the event putting the final touches.

Zanu-PF structures  – including the party's provinces, Women's League, Youth League and War Veterans League – have nominated President Mnangagwa as the party's First Secretary and President for endorsement at the Congress.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, said the Congress will be unique on many fronts.

"It will be an important event. The registration is already going on, the structures are in place and the people are enthusiastic about coming to the Congress.

"We are coming out of Covid-19 and there is still lingering fear of the virus, so, as a balance, we have reduced the number of people coming for the event.

"But we also believe that, with the achievements the President has been making on the socio-economic front, a smaller number of people will be much more focused on debating on issues of our manifesto, in debating about the achievements we have scored, and also in charting the future, even of more successes by the revolutionary party."

Ambassador Mutsvangwa added: "These delegates who will be coming are the optimal size which we would have so that we can carry out cogent debate on issues which matter to the day-to-day lives of the people of Zimbabwe."

Decisions expected to be made at the Congress include the endorsement of Central Committee members who were elected recently.

Zanu-PF Secretary for War Veterans Affairs, Cde Douglas Mahiya, said the Congress is evidence that the party values democratic processes.

"It is our way of doing things to have a Congress after every five years and assess the progress the party would have made. We have in the past five years given ourselves benchmarks of things that we needed to do on behalf of the people because Zanu-PF is a party of the people.

"Year by year, we have conferences to assess our progress, but after five years, we then sit down to look at what we have achieved and what we have not achieved. We must also identify why we have not achieved. That is the norm; that is what Zanu-PF does."

Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde John Paradza, said youths have already endorsed President Mnangagwa as the sole Presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.

"As we are going to Congress on October 26 and as the Youth League, we already endorsed President Mnangagwa as our only candidate for the 2023 elections," he said.

"The youth are happy with the development taking place in the country and their involvement. This is something we never experienced during the old dispensation, so they are very happy and supportive of President Mnangagwa."

According to Zanu-PF's constitution, one of the functions of the Congress is to formulate, pronounce and declare all policies of the party.

The party's constitution prescribes the Congress must be convened every five years.

In the lead-up to the Congress, the party elected Central Committee members.

The party's organs – including the Women's League, Youth League and the newly formed War Veterans League – were fully constituted.