Zanu-PF's Khaya Moyo scoffs at detractors

The 15th Zanu-PF Annual National People's Conference that started on Monday disproves among many lies by detractors that the party would disintegrate following the sacking of former Vice President Joice Mujuru, a senior official has said.

Party spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo yesterday said the false prophesies by the party's detractors have proved to be hallucinations.

Mujuru and her cabal were fired from Government and party following the unearthing of a plot to topple President Mugabe. Afterwards the private media went into overdrive suggesting that the party would split with Mujuru taking with her a chunk of the party's support base.

Instead, Khaya Moyo said, the party was about to conclude its restructuring exercise which saw it grow in terms of numbers making it stronger than ever. He said the conference would also disprove claims by the private media who have in recent weeks tried to set an agenda for the indaba with suggestions that there was a push for structural changes in the party.

"I will not waste my time commenting on hallucinations. This is not a congress, but a conference, it's not elective. Our main focus is on the economy," said Khaya Moyo. He reiterated that after last year's congress, constitutional amendments were made making President Mugabe the sole appointing authority for positions in the party except for Central Committee members that came from provinces.

"We all serve at the pleasure of the President," said Khaya Moyo. He said the conference, being held under the theme; "Consolidating people's power through Zim-Asset," looks at the economy and exchange of ideas on how to boost it and not the sensationalist stories that have been published in the private media.

"It must be understood that the economy belongs to all of us Zimbabweans and it is the responsibility of every patriotic Zimbabwean to find strategies to boost it," said Khaya Moyo.

He said the party was looking forward to the Central Committee meeting in Harare today where a number of issues discussed at the Politburo on Monday, at the start of the conference, will be debated. Khaya Moyo repeated his message that only accredited delegates would be welcome at the conference.

He said all was set for the official opening of the event on Friday by President Mugabe.

"Committees will discuss a number of issues affecting both the party and country. Agriculture will also be discussed at the conference because it appears we're headed for another drought and strategies will have to be found on how to mitigate the effects and how vulnerable families will be assisted," said Khaya Moyo.

He said the conference came at a time when Zanu-PF had won back a significant number of seats from the MDC-T, a development he said was welcomed within the party. "We are happy about that, but it doesn't mean that we should rest on our laurels.

"We must keep working hard and avoid being distracted by a private media that is struggling for relevance by making up stories," said Khaya Moyo. "We need to look at the numbers that we won. "We have to continue coming up with practical solutions to people's problems and build the party so that we increase numbers."