Midlands Zanu-PF pushes for 7-year leadership cycle

ZANU-PF's Midlands Province has resolved to push for the alignment of the party's constitution with the national Constitution to provide for a seven-year leadership cycle, a move the provincial leadership says would pave the way for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain at the helm beyond 2030.

The resolution was adopted at the ZANU-PF Midlands Inter-District Conference held at the party's Convention Centre in Gweru at the weekend, where party structures from across the province consolidated their resolutions ahead of the Annual National People's Conference in Chinhoyi.

ZANU-PF Midlands provincial chairperson Edson Chiherenge said the province had taken a firm position on extending Mnangagwa's leadership beyond 2030.

"We met as a province and agreed that the party has to focus on President Mnangagwa beyond 2030. We want to align the party constitution with the national Constitution to have the seven-year cycle," he said.

The Midlands resolution will now form part of submissions from provincial structures to the National People's Conference, where proposals are expected to be debated and consolidated into resolutions guiding the party's political and development agenda.

The leadership proposal was among several resolutions adopted by the province, with party structures also calling for intensified value addition and beneficiation of mineral resources and the continued implementation of development programmes under the Second Republic.

The resolutions were adopted under the conference theme: "From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Empowerment Towards Vision 2030."

Chiherenge said beneficiation and economic empowerment were critical to ensuring that communities benefited more from the province's natural resources.

The issue is particularly significant for Midlands, which has developed into a major mining and industrial hub with substantial deposits of gold, chrome and other minerals.

ZANU-PF National Political Commissar Munyaradzi Machacha said the success of the party's resolutions would ultimately be measured by their impact on ordinary citizens.

"The National People's Conference is a platform for provinces to bring forward the aspirations of their structures. What is important is that resolutions must translate into results that benefit the people. And you spoke about the need to make use of our resources locally," he said.

ZANU-PF Politburo member July Moyo said the Midlands resolutions would contribute to shaping the country's broader development agenda.

"The party is superior; hence we need to have a solid map that will guide the nation. This is the President's province, so we have your views respected," he said.

Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube said the province was undergoing significant economic transformation, driven by investment across several sectors.

"Like the rest of our motherland, Zimbabwe, the Midlands Province continues to experience rapid economic growth, emerging as the largest rural provincial economy driven mainly by robust infrastructure development and massive investments in mining, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, construction, retail and wholesale sectors," he said.

The Midlands resolutions will now be among the proposals submitted by ZANU-PF's provincial structures for consideration at the party's Annual National People's Conference in Chinhoyi.