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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF Politburo has set December 10 to 15 as the dates for the ruling party’s 17th annual national people’s conference to be held in Esigodini in Matabeleland South province.

The conference was initially slated for Gwanda but the Politburo moved it to Umzingwane Boys High School in Esigodini.

In an interview yesterday, the ruling party’s spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said the dates for the annual indaba were approved by Zanu-PF’s supreme decision making body, the Politburo during its meeting last week.

The conference whose theme is “Zimbabwe is Open for Business: In Unity and Peace towards an upper middle income economy by 2030” is expected to attract 5 000 delegates drawn from the country’s 10 provinces.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the preparations for the conference are on course.

“Preparations are going on extremely well. The conference is earmarked for December 10 to 15, 2018. There will be a Politburo meeting on Monday, the 10th of December and a Central Committee meeting on Wednesday the 12th of December 2018. Thursday, the 13th of December will be travelling and verification of delegates and then of course that is when there will also be tree planting and health and environmental activities at the venue,” said Cde Khaya-Moyo.

He said President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also the ruling party’s First Secretary, will officially open the conference on Friday, December 14.

“The conference proper starts on Friday, the 14th and of course ends on 15th of December with the delegates returning to their respective places on the 16th,” he said.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the party has activated its sub-committees, which are working tirelessly with other key stakeholders to prepare for the annual indaba.

“We are happy that the conference is coming after a very successful outcome of the harmonised elections which we won resoundingly,” he said.

Cde Khaya Moyo said some sub-committees have started presenting their budgets while others are still in the process.

“We are moving in the right direction and what is important is full time determination and cooperation amongst ourselves. We must work assiduously together as a united Zanu-PF family to ensure that the outcome is a success.

“The budgets are going to be determined by the number of delegates who are coming for the conference. We are thinking of around 5 000 delegates and we should be able to meet the expectations,” he said.

Zanu-PF heads of department met two weeks ago at Esikhoveni Institute of Training in Esigodini to assess and monitor progress ahead of the annual indaba.

— @mashnets