Transform Zimbabwe press statement

I appreciate you all for coming. The main purpose of this press conference is to communicate the resolutions of the TZ Congress held on 23-24 March 2018 in Harare. The 23rd and 24th of March were historic days for TZ and the nation at large as democracy succeeded over personal egos when TZ held its inaugural elective Congress at Exhibition Centre. Thousands of members in TZ structures across the country graced Nelson Mandela Hall for the Congress.

The Congress agenda was as follows;
 - Election of TZ office bearers
 - Launch of IGNITE (TZ policy outline)
 - Review of TZ participation in the MDC Alliance

Election strategy outline

Congress appointed a substantive National Executive Committee to lead the party for the next five years. President Jacob Ngarivhume was unanimously endorsed to lead the party deputized by Reason Mandhlenkosi Ngwenya. Of note was the colourful blend of gender, age and ethnicity in the NEC appointments. We showed that TZ is the party for everyone.

The Congress then launched our economic masterplan called IGNITE. The IGNITE policy framework is premised on the fact the nation is stagnant and the economic engine is switched off. As TZ we are here to ignite the national engine and steer the nation to a glorious and prosperous future. IGNITE is an acronym for;

(1) Industrialization and infrastructure rehabilitation,

(2) Good governance

(3) National integration

(4) Inclusive society

(5) Transformational leadership and

(6) Empowered society.

Transform Zimbabwe acknowledged the compromise made by the party in accepting 19 seat allocation in the MDC Alliance. The Congress raised a number of areas of concern regarding the operationalization of the MDC Alliance. Chief amongst the issues raised by the delegates was the total absence of TZ seats in the three Matabeleland Provinces.

Another concern was regarding the letter and spirit of the Alliance agreement by the MDCT through appointing candidates in constituencies earmarked for Alliance partners. It was noted that the Alliance institutionalization process has not progressed as agreed and there was a general sentiment that the Alliance was now heavily reliant on MDC-T party infrastructure. Congress delegates felt aggrieved by the marginalization of the party in the allocation of urban parliamentary and council seats.

Notwithstanding these, Transform Zimbabwe affirms its commitment to the ideals of the Alliance and wishes to enter the 2018 election as part of the Alliance. However, that should not be mistaken for a lack of capacity to go it alone in the undesirable situation where the Alliance fails to hold for one reason or another. Congress mandated me as President to table the following requests to the Alliance Principals Forum;

 - An urgent conclusion to all outstanding matters
 - That MDCT should nullify all the primary election results for the Constituencies allocated to TZ and make an unequivocal undertaking that there will be no MDCT candidates contesting in areas allocated to Alliance partners.
 - Plus other issues that have been forwarded to the Alliance Principals Forum, details of which cannot be discussed through the press.

Let me also declare that Transform Zimbabwe will escalate its fight for electoral reforms and will petition, demonstrate and lobby for the same. TZ leaders will carry-out massive voter education at grassroots to ensure they debunk misinformation on BVR as peddled by ZANU PF structures. This time around we stand a better chance of defeating ZANU PF and kick it out of power.

I then ushered the party into the election mode and issued a clarion call to all structures and candidates to go into overdrive regarding recruitment and support base consolidation in preparation for the 2018 election.

Let me conclude by saying that a program for training of poll agents in all provinces will be launched very soon. We believe surely 2018 is our year!

I thank you and God bless Zimbabwe.

#TZ Communications
#www.jacobngarivhume.com