Resolution on special congress endorsed

• Indaba to affirm President’s candidature • Plans afoot to amend constitution

IT’s a done deal!

President Mugabe will be confirmed as the ruling Zanu-PF’s candidate in next year’s Presidential election during an Extraordinary Congress slated for December after the party’s 10 provinces passed the resolution over the weekend.

The Extraordinary Congress, which comes before the regular congress that was due in 2019, will be held in place of a scheduled Annual National People’s Conference.

Mashonaland West, Midlands, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces affirmed the First Secretary, President Mugabe, as the ruling party’s candidate on Saturday while the remaining provinces passed the resolution yesterday.

In an interview with The Herald after the Harare Provincial Executive Council (PEC) meeting, provincial spokesperson Dr Abicia Ushewokunze said the resolution to hold an Extraordinary Congress to affirm President Mugabe as the party’s sole candidate was unanimous.

He said the PEC also resolved to amend the 2014 party constitution “to accommodate issues to do with the Youth and Women’s Leagues”, with the resolution to have a female Vice President taking centre stage.

“That President Mugabe is the sole candidate is not a debate, but idzokororo (repetition).

“We resolved that the constitution be amended as there are a number of issues yet to be addressed, especially the Women’s League resolution on Vice Presidents. All conferences have passed this resolution, the party’s 10 provinces agreed and the President apologised for this oversight at the party HQ recently.

“In future people will think resolutions are just passed for the sake of concluding a conference yet this is not the case,” Dr Ushewokunze said.

Other resolutions made by the PEC include the ironing out of issues to do with the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) and the Registrar-General’s Office.

Senior officials who attended the meeting include Harare Provincial Affairs Minister Miriam Chikukwa, chairman Charles Tavengwa,

political commissar Shadreck Mashayamombe and members of the Central Committee.

Zanu-PF Manicaland Province has unanimously endorsed the motion to turn this year’s Annual People’s Conference into a special congress at a special Provincial Coordination Committee meeting held at Mutare Polytechnic.

Presenting the resolution, provincial secretary for Administration Cde Kenneth Saruchera said: “Manicaland Province requests his Excellency, President Mugabe to convene an extraordinary session of congress in terms of Section 26:1C of the constitution in order to specifically and only deliberate on the party’s solidarity with President R. G Mugabe and his confirmation as the party’s candidate for the 2018 harmonised elections.

“There is urgent need to take stock of the party structures as well as programmes in line with developments in the party.”

All the party wings unanimously endorsed the motion, with Women’s League chairperson, Cde Estry Mlambo-Madhuku, saying the special congress will put the succession issue to rest.

“We want to reaffirm our position as the Women’s League in Manicaland of being solidly behind President Mugabe. We have been advocating having one of the Vice-Presidents being a woman and the December special conference will help us to resolve this issue,” she said.

Zanu-PF national secretary for transport and welfare, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said: “As Manicaland, we are rallying behind President Mugabe. We know his well documented history. He is our candidate for 2018 and anyone thinking otherwise is lost.

“He is a giant among giants as he is the only president who challenged USA President Donald Trump at the just-ended United Nations Summit. President Mugabe is our jewel and asset.”

Youth League chairperson, Cde Mubuso Chinguno, said: “In 2014, we endorsed the candidature of President Mugabe and we have no other candidate. President Mugabe is our Moses and he will take us to the Promised Land.

“President Mugabe is our life candidate. We have no problem with him dying in office, so we greatly welcome the development to have the December Annual People’s Conference turned into a special congress. There is so much discord in the party and the special congress will address all the problems.”

The Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial executive endorsed President Mugabe as the ruling party candidate for next year’s elections saying the revolutionary party was poised for a resounding victory.

Speaking after a Provincial Executive Council meeting, Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial spokesperson Cde Ronald Ndaba said the ruling party had agreed that President Mugabe must continue to be the ruling party leader for life.

Cde Ndaba, who was speaking after a short meeting at Victorai Primary School, said Zanu-PF was united behind President Mugabe in Masvingo.

‘’We met as the provincial PEC and endorsed President Mugabe as our candidate for the 2018 elections. We also agreed that President, Mugabe is our sole candidate for next year’s elections,’’ he said.

Cde Ndaba said other than endorsing President Mugabe as next year’s Presidential candidate, the PCC had also resolved that the Zanu-PF First Secretary should be President for life.

Provincial political commissar Cde Jappy Jaboon said Masvingo was behind President Mugabe adding that there were disagreements within the executive over the wording of the final communique stating Masvingo’s position.

‘’My point as political commissar is that we should follow a template when it comes to these recommendations because in Zanu-PF we have got one centre of power who is President Mugabe,’’ he said.

Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial chair Cde Ezra Chadzamira said the PEC meeting deliberated on the endorsement of President Mugabe as the ruling party candidate in next year’s elections.

“We agreed on the endorsement of President Mugabe as the sole ruling party candidate in next year’s elections and also that he must lead the party for life, these are the only two issues that we deliberated on, anything other than that is fiction,’’ he said.

Cde Chadzamira said the ruling party was focused on helping President Mugabe to win next year’s elections.

The PCC meeting was attended by Masvingo provincial affairs Minister Dr Paul Chimedza, Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi, politburo member Cde Paul Magwana and Lovemore Matuke among others.

Matabeleland North provincial chair Cde Richard Moyo announced the resolution which was made in Lupane.

“We met today both the Provincial Executive Committee and the Provincial Coordinating Committee. Just like other provinces the issue to do with the Extra Ordinary Congress was part of the agenda. We have endorsed the proposal by the Zanu-PF Politburo for an Extra ordinary Congress in December and we are also rallying behind President Mugabe as the Zanu-PF Presidential candidate,” Cde Moyo said.

Mashonaland Central chairman Cde Dickson Mafios said: “We, as the provincial executive committee, have requested President Mugabe who is also the party’s First Secretary to convene an extraordinary session of the congress. The congress, according to our request, should only deliberate on the party’s solidarity with the President as our candidate for the election.”

Mashonaland East chairman Cde Kenneth Mutiwekuziva weighed in: “Mashonaland East has held a meeting and came up with a resolution for the holding of an Extraordinary Congress.’’

The Midlands Province was deliberating on the issue yesterday.