Zanu-PF Women's League conference roars into life

ALL roads lead to the Harare International Conference Centre today for the 7th Zanu-PF Women's League elective conference, which constitutionally takes place after every five years, with at least 2 500 delegates expected.

Final touches were yesterday being done to ensure a glitch-free event, while foreign delegates from sister political parties had started trickling in.

The conference, which will elect the league's secretaries and their deputies from the 40 candidates who have been elected in their respective provinces, will run from today to Sunday under the theme, "Total Political and Socio-economic Empowerment for all Women by 2030".

The theme of the conference resonates with the Second Republic's commitment to ensure all women are involved in the economy and national development.

The positions to be contested are from the deputy secretary for Women's Affairs and below, while the secretary will be appointed by the First Secretary of the party, President Mnangagwa.

Updating the nation on the Women's League's state of preparedness, Zanu-PF Secretary for Women's Affairs, Mabel Chinomona, who is also the Senate president, said everything was in place for the historic elective conference.

"I am happy to report that preparations are going on peacefully and extremely well and we are good to go now.

"I am also pleased that everything has come together for a very successful, peaceful and historic conference," said Chinomona.

President Mnangagwa, who is Zanu-PF First Secretary, will be the guest of honour and will deliver his keynote address tomorrow (Friday).

The league, Chinomona said, also emphatically endorsed President Mnangagwa as the sole Zanu-PF candidate for the 2023 harmonised elections.

The league's secretary for Administration, Monica Mutsvangwa, said women will mobilise Zimbabweans to appreciate the good works of the Second Republic.

"Our First Secretary, who is also the President of Zimbabwe, has been walking the talk in implementing the party manifesto. We have our manifesto as a party and we are clearly walking the talk. We want Zimbabwe to achieve Vision 2030. As the Women's League, we are working very hard to empower women across the country since they are the powerful citizens of any nation across the globe," she said.

Mutsvangwa urged women not to be duped by fly-by-night political parties with no substance.

Women's league delegates from sister revolutionary parties in the region such as the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, Swapo of Namibia, Frelimo of Mozambique, Chama Cha Mapinduzi of Tanzania, MPLA of Angola, diaspora districts, and other women's organisations, Government ministries and women in business will grace the occasion.

Members of the Women's League, led by Secretary for Finance, Caroline Tsitsi Mugabe, were yesterday at the Robert Mugabe International Airport to receive some of the delegates from Angola's MPLA.

Speaking on arrival, Manuella Valeria Gaspar, MPLA Central Committee member, said they are in Zimbabwe in solidarity with Zanu-PF Women's League.

"We have come to participate at the conference from MPLA's Women's  League. We came in solidarity with Zanu-PF. The relationship between the two sister parties is very good hence our participation at the conference," she said.

The Zanu-PF National Women's League elective conference is being held ahead of the party's National People's Congress scheduled for October.

The conference will also be graced by various Government ministries, Women's organisations including women from faith based organisations, Young Women for Economic Development, Women chiefs as well as women in various leadership positions in both Government and civic society.