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Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
DELEGATES to the ongoing 16th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference being held here have expressed optimism that the meeting will address a number of unresolved issues affecting the party and country.

By late yesterday all provinces had arrived safely. The conference is expected to come up with a new narrative that will strengthen the revolutionary party ahead of the must-win general elections in 2018.

Delegates who spoke to The Chronicle said they expect the conference to address developmental concerns affecting the country.

Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial deputy secretary for information and publicity Cde Francis Ziyanga said the province expected the conference to address the closure of industries in the country’s second largest city.

“Our industry is now down and many people were left jobless after the collapse of companies that we expect to be resuscitated. We look forward to see National Railways of Zimbabwe working again so that our children can get employed. The conference should address that,” said Cde Ziyanga.
Matabeleland North deputy provincial political commissar Cde Jonathan Nkanyezi said they hoped that the conference will put more emphasis on the construction of dams, rehabilitation of roads and setting up of irrigation facilities.

“We wish the conference would attend to developmental resolutions that we have submitted as a province. Our roads are in bad state and they need rehabilitation so are dams like Shangani,” said Cde Nkanyezi.

Masvingo provincial secretary for finance Dr Killer Zivhu said the issue of Zim-Asset should be  high on the agenda with the conference putting emphasis on how best the aspirations of the people can be achieved.

“We look forward to the conference addressing the issue of ZimAsset through which the country can move forward. Here in Masvingo especially in Chivi District, we have moved with the Zim-Asset chorus where we did district, ward, village programmes and we would soon move to household Zim-Asset. Under this approach, we want everyone to partake in the country’s economic blueprint,” he said.

Dr Zivhu also said the conference is expected to touch on the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam project whose construction was completed on Monday. The dam has a potential to irrigate about 26 000 hectares of land.

The conference which started on Tuesday and ends tomorrow, is running under the theme, “Moving with Zim-Asset in Peace and Unity.” About 7 000 delegates are attending the conference.