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THE ruling Zanu-PF party emerged from its 15th Annual National People’s Conference invigorated, united and rejuvenated to tackle the country’s multi-faceted economic challenges. Much had been made of the alleged divisions in the vanguard party prior to the annual indaba but prophets of doom were made to eat humble pie after the anticipated “blood letting” and “fireworks” failed to materialise.

The party showed once again that it is capable of rising above petty differences steeped in unbridled ambition to close ranks and coalesce around its leader President Robert Mugabe when it matters most. Following the successful conclusion of the conference without incident, it is time for the party to implement its resolutions and ensure that they are translated into action for the benefit of the generality of the people of Zimbabwe.

Officially opening the conference on Friday, President Mugabe set the tone for the deliberations by moving quickly to douse factional flames and warning party cadres who are engaged in mortal combat to stop their divisive actions forthwith. Cde Mugabe did not mince his words and took aim at senior party officials who were in the habit of dragging the names of security forces into their factional fights, saying those who did so would be kicked out.

The President said factionalism had reached bad levels and urged members to be orderly and united. He said those who were fanning factionalism were bent on destroying Zanu-PF and warned that they face the boot if they do not change their ways. Cde Mugabe also blasted senior Government officials assigned to engage foreign companies to undertake development projects for inflating costs and making taxpayers bear the brunt of their corruption.

He said a number of Chinese firms had been blacklisted for conniving with local officials to inflate costs of various projects. Cde Mugabe revealed that while such corruption was difficult to detect, monitoring had been tightened and anyone caught would rot in jail.

Closing the conference on Saturday, the President said Zimbabwe’s economy was on the steady road to recovery with more distressed companies expected to come to life in 2016. He hailed resilient firms for maintaining operations and increasing production despite Western economic sanctions. “The economy is becoming better and next year, we expect things to be better. Some dead companies will become alive. The economy is on the steady road to recovery. Some companies are now back on their feet.

“I didn’t know that some of the companies especially in Bulawayo have survived the hard times. Cold Storage Commission is once again back on its feet. We want the CSC entities in Harare, Marondera and Masvingo to come back to life. We’ve to revive it and make it better than it used to be.” He added: “I hear that Bata Company was now back on its feet and where it had lost just a handful of workers now has a thousand workers. We also hear that United Refineries in Bulawayo has now a 100 percent capacity.”

He said economic sanctions imposed on the country by the West had made Zimbabweans tough. “We’ve our own philosophy and ideology. We believe that our natural resources are our own and we don’t share them with anyone,” he said.

President Mugabe told companies, especially those in mining, that are still to comply with indigenisation and empowerment regulations to do so before 2015 is out.

“Come January 2016, the stubbornness and resistance should end. In 2016, we will not accept companies that refuse and reject our policy of indigenisation and empowerment in the manner we inscribed it. The natural resources you are working with are ours and we should have 51 percent shares in the companies.

“If you bring resources that we don’t have in the country, then we can negotiate with you, but where resources are ours, there’s no negotiation because you’ll be depleting our resources. Resources are not for this generation alone, but also for our children and children’s children.”

We hail the successful holding of the conference and call on the ruling party to ensure that its resolutions are implemented expeditiously. We also applaud the President for clearly articulating the party’s position on factionalism and urge officials engaged in factional fights to heed their leader’s clarion call for unity. Divisions in the party are detrimental to the well being of the movement and can only benefit the opposition.

Party cadres should keep their eyes on the ball and close ranks to ensure that the gains and inroads made in former opposition strongholds are consolidated. There is only one centre of power in Zanu-PF and we hope those that are involved in shadowy schemes heard the President’s warning. Otherwise they should not cry foul when the axe is wielded on them. Former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her cabal are living testimony of the futility of having a voracious appetite for power.