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Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
Zanu-PF will next week gather in Matabeleland South for the party’s 17th National People’s Conference with a number of developments having taken place since the last one held Masvingo Province in 2016.
Delegates will converge at Umzingwane High School in Umzingwane District.

This is the first Zanu-PF conference with President Emmerson Mnangagwa as leader of both party and country following the resignation of former president Mr Robert Mugabe in November last year.

It was at the Masvingo conference of 2016 where the host province sang “Kumagumo kune nyaya” both prophetic and warning to the then machinations by the G40 faction to target senior party leadership, number one on their list being President Mnangagwa who was then one of Mr Mugabe’s deputies.

Initially, last year, Matabeleland South was scheduled to host the conference but it was shelved after the party decided to hold an extraordinary congress in December in Harare.

It is that congress, after events in November that President Mnangagwa was confirmed as party First Secretary having been earlier inaugurated as President of the country to complete Mr Mugabe’s term.

The conference also comes following the national elections held in June this year where President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF got the majority vote to form the Government of the day.

More importantly, the annual pilgrimage comes at a time when the Government is making a number of initiatives towards the revival of the economy.

It is against this background that the conference is aptly themed, “Zimbabwe Is open For Business, Peace, Unity Towards An Upper Middle Income Economy By 2030.”

Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial secretary for finance, Cde Mlungisi Moyo said the conference theme resonates with the Government’s vision

“The theme captures President Mnangagwa’s inauguration speech as he outlined his Government’s vision for the country which is taking the country back to the family of nations through opening up the economy for investors so that we grow our economy,” he said.

Cde Moyo said the conference comes at a critical time when the party and Government need to work hand in glove towards the goal of reviving the economy.

“It is important therefore for party members to understand the Government’s thrust towards an economic turnaround so that they support the Government when it implements policies towards economic revival. The party members then become ambassadors in their respective areas, explaining to the people and structures what exactly the Government is doing towards a return to economic prosperity,” he said.

“At the conference, we will break into thematic committees and one of them will focus on the economy and it is where such terms like ‘austerity for prosperity’ in view of the 2019 Budget will be unpacked so that the membership understands because outside being party cadres, Zanu-PF members are also citizens of the country. There are interventions like the Transitional Stabilisation Programme that will also be unpacked for easy understanding by members.”

Another key development that has been witnessed is the President’s deployment of senior party members to Zanu-PF headquarters to head departments on a permanent basis in line with the new shift towards the party’s supremacy over the Government.

On a political level, the conference completes the re-organisation of the revolutionary party after the ejection of toxic elements that had destabilised both party and country.

The party has managed to re-organise itself after November last year and now enjoys unity within its structures that was last experienced many years ago.

Lupane State University lecturer, Mr Bukhosi Mpofu, said it is important for a party to be in sync with the Government in terms of vision and policies towards serving the nation.

“It is the political party that forms the Government so the importance of synergies in terms of policies can never be over emphasised. It is in the national interest that these two institutions walk in step in as far as the crafting and implementation and supporting even of policies that the Government rolls out for the revival of the economy,” said Mr Mpofu.

“The party being the people, working with one vision with the Government shows that it is in touch with the needs and aspirations of those people and also that there is a buy-in from the people in the interventions they are making.”

Taking the oath of office in August, President Mnangagwa promised a new Zimbabwe in the Second Republic underpinned by servant leadership where corruption and unnecessary bureaucracy in service delivery will not be tolerated.

President Mnangagwa said those appointed to serve in public offices should also adopt his servant leadership approach to transform the country.

“I am your listening President, a servant leader,” President Mnangagwa said.

“In this vein, those who will occupy public office at any level, under my Government will be required to exercise servant leadership in the execution of their duties and to be humble and responsive in their interactions and dealings with the citizenry.

“Equally, the bureaucracy in the Second Republic will be expected to be development- oriented, responsive to the people’s needs as well as exhibit high principles of professional ethics and integrity.

“My administration will therefore expect public sector officials to deliver quality and timely services to the people as well as facilitate business, trade and investment. Bureaucratic bottlenecks, unnecessary delays, lethargic and corrupt activities will not be tolerated.

“We must as a society encourage and inculcate the culture of hard honest work. The prosecution of perpetrators of corruption will be carried out without fear or favour. In the Second Republic, no person or entity will be allowed to steal, loot or pocket that which belongs to the people of Zimbabwe. No one is above the law. This is a New Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe we all want.”

The conference is important therefore in as far as the completion of a Zanu-PF reorganisation and more critically in ensuring unity towards the much desired economic turnaround guided by President Mnangagwa’s spirit of servant leadership.