ZANU-PF appoints new Head for Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology

ZANU-PF has announced the appointment of Ishmael Mada as the new principal of the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, succeeding Munyaradzi Machacha, who has been elevated to the position of National Political Commissar. Mada's appointment took effect in September, marking a new leadership era at the school.

Machacha, who led the school since 2017, oversaw its growth as a central institution for teaching Zimbabwe's foundational and ideological principles. The school has promoted the nation's core values and aims to instill ZANU-PF's ideological principles, which resonate across Zimbabwe and the SADC region.

The institution reflects the party's commitment to "socialist ideology with Zimbabwean characteristics," which emphasizes that Zimbabwe's natural resources should be controlled by its people to benefit the entire nation. The school aligns its curriculum with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rallying calls: "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo" (A country is built by its owners), "Building Zimbabwe brick upon brick, stone upon stone," and "Leaving no one and no place behind."

These guiding principles form the backbone of the school's programs, which aim to stabilize Zimbabwe's economic development and drive the nation's industrialization efforts as it pursues Vision 2030.

According to ZANU-PF's Central Committee report presented at the recent National Annual People's Conference in Bulawayo, the school conducted numerous workshops as part of the party's mass mobilization efforts. "Riding on the Commissariat Department polling-station based mobilisation strategy, the school organised a number of workshops targeting different segments of society," the report states. Over 1,500 participants from government and non-governmental institutions attended these Basic Orientation Course workshops, which provided insights into ZANU-PF's revolutionary history and ideology.

The school also partnered with the Commissariat Department's Kumusha Home Ekhaya (KHE) initiative to train former opposition members returning to ZANU-PF. Between its sessions at the Dadaya National Youth Service Training Centre, Manjolo Business Centre in Binga, and Jambezi Growth Point in Hwange East, the school trained 1,070 returnees.

In a related development, ZANU-PF has completed a new state-of-the-art headquarters for the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology in Harare, located at the southeast corner of Samora Machel Avenue and Simon Muzenda Street. President Mnangagwa, who championed the construction, is expected to officially open the building soon. The facility features six classrooms with a capacity of 360 students, a canteen, and an IT center.

The Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology offers enrolment to all Zimbabweans interested in its courses, aiming to provide ideological orientation for diverse segments of society in line with the national vision of "leaving no one and no place behind."