EDITORIAL COMMENT: Special Congress must reinvigorate, unite Zanu-PF Cde Simon Khaya Moyo
Cde Simon Khaya Moyo

Cde Simon Khaya Moyo

THE ruling Zanu-PF party holds its Extraordinary Congress in Harare this week where the vanguard movement will introspect and take stock of its achievements since the last indaba in 2014. The Special Congress comes in the wake of seismic changes to the party’s leadership with former President and one of the founding fathers of Zanu-PF, Cde Robert Mugabe, having been recalled from leadership of the party while his wife, Mrs Grace Mugabe and a coterie of G40 cabal members having been fired.

Cde Mugabe had to go through the ignominy of being forced to resign as State President following intense pressure from Zanu-PF which was leading a push to have him impeached in Parliament. The former President relinquished power on the back of a military intervention which targeted criminal elements surrounding him who had coalesced around his wife and were posing a danger to the country.

The G40 cabal comprised former Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Ignatious Chombo, Professor Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and former National Commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere. Following the dismantling of the group, Zanu-PF has been on a restructuring exercise where it has been systematically ridding itself of these toxic elements as it prepares for the 2018 harmonised elections. It has a new leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will be confirmed as party President and First Secretary at the Special Congress.

Cde Mnangagwa will also be confirmed as the Zanu-PF presidential candidate in next year’s polls. The party has said it will not elect leaders but largely endorse Central Committee resolutions passed on 19 November 2017. Cde Mnangagwa will also use his discretion whether or not to appoint his deputies and a National Chairman. Speaking ahead of the Congress, party spokesman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said: “This is an Extraordinary Congress and as such, it will discuss only that business for which it has been convened.

“There are basically three issues that will be on the table. The first one is to confirm our President and First Secretary of the party. The second one is to endorse His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as our candidate for the 2018 harmonised elections. The third aspect is to endorse Central Committee resolutions that were made by the last committee which met on November 19.”

Cde Khaya Moyo said President Mnangagwa would appoint his deputies and a National Chair at his discretion.

“What is also important to note is that we are not going to have thematic committees. There will also be no elections at the Congress. In general, it is a non-elective Congress. However, there are vacancies in the party, which are that of the two Vice-Presidents and the National Chairperson.

“The President of the party may decide to appoint these during the Congress, but he is not obliged to. He can choose to announce the appointment at the Congress or at another stage.

“There are also other vacancies that have arisen in the Politburo, so the President may also decide to appoint them, but it is all up to him.”

On the one centre of power concept, he said: “That is not an item on its own. It was one of the resolutions of the last Central Committee, so the Congress will decide whether to pass it or not.

“. . . Congress will just set the tone for the elections. Then after Congress, we will go ahead to officially start our preparations for the elections.”

The party’s leadership has been clear that there should be no wholesale purging of people perceived to be G40 ahead of Congress as that would be counter-productive.

A retributive path is not only divisive but might work against the party in the long run. In that regard and in the spirit of unity, the party has been advising provinces to stop haphazard suspensions of cadres labelled G40 since it is aware that some people may use such platforms to settle scores.

Congress itself should be seized with addressing bread and butter issues affecting the people of Zimbabwe. We are glad that the party has made it clear that there will be no elections or leadership contestations at Congress as that tends to divide people and consume a lot of time and energy which otherwise would be used for productive purposes.

As the party which informs Government, Zanu-PF should find solutions to the country’s multi-faceted problems. President Mnangagwa and his Cabinet have hit the ground running with the President himself leading by example by showing a great work ethic — a refreshing and radical departure from the past. His Government has also announced a raft of reforms through the recent National Budget.

Congress needs to support these efforts by crafting resolutions that reinforce the new Economic Order as the whole country is pinning hopes of an economic turnaround on the fiscal policy statement announced by Finance Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa.

 

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