The Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe)

Zanu PF 20th National People’s Conference a show of strength

Colossal people’s party, held its 20th National People’s Conference in Gweru, Midlands province, from October 27 to 28.

- Dr Obert Moses Mpofu

THE successful conference clearly showed ZANU PF’s might and popularity. Indeed, ZANU PF is such a powerful force that cannot be stopped.

I am sure all have seen how well-organised the people’s party is and how well it is structured.

The recently held conference was indeed a show of strength.

My party, ZANU PF, once more held a spectacula­r conference that bore testament to its popularity, strength and ability to appeal to the masses.

It was all jubilation and fanfare as we celebrated His Excellency, President Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa’s and ZANU PF’s victory in the August harmonised elections.

ZANU PF is indeed a colossal party that is well-organised and is structured like a well-oiled machine.

Up to the last minute, my office was inundated with several requests from dedicated party cadres seeking accreditat­ion and wanting to take part in this year’s festivitie­s.

The recently held conference attracted well over 3 000 delegates.

The display of popularity and ability to attract delegates from all corners of the country should be the signal the opposition requires to flee and take cover.

The Midlands province, which hosted us, should be commended for the stellar job they did in ensuring that this conference was a resounding success.

They were well-organised and discipline­d and this ensured that our conference was carried out without a hitch.

Of note, the just-ended conference saw the appointmen­t by President Mnangagwa of Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde General Valerio B. Sibanda, a renowned war veteran, as an ex-officio member of the Politburo.

Cde Gwenzi, as he was known during the war, was instrument­al in the fight for Zimbabwe’s independen­ce.

He received his training at Morogoro in Tanzania, where I had earlier received my training.

It was at this same camp, Morogoro, where most commanders of the liberation struggle received their training.

Contrary to misplaced speculatio­n on social media, there is nothing amiss or new about this appointmen­t that should be a cause for concern.

Other decorated members of our defence forces such as the late General Solomon Mujuru, General Josiah Tungamirai and General Zvinavashe have all served as members of the Politburo.

All these revered men are political soldiers and no one should try to separate their notable contributi­on to our country’s independen­ce or their ties with the party that brought about the country’s independen­ce, ZANU PF.

Cde Gwenzi’s appointmen­t should not be viewed as a political appointmen­t, but as one that is based on the country’s history.

Cde Gwenzi’s liberation war credential­s are impossible to ignore and this justifies his inclusion in the Politburo.

Cde Gwenzi’s appointmen­t to the ZANU PF Politburo as an ex-officio member is not a break with history, but a reaffirmat­ion of the need to honour those who fought for this country and have them take a decisive seat in determinin­g its affairs.

Most importantl­y, the just-ended 20th National People’s Conference renewed and energised my party ZANU PF’s resolve, more so as we head into the upcoming by-elections.

I sense another ZANU PF victory just beyond the horizon.

You see, winning is deeply entrenched in ZANU PF’s DNA.

Political parties are only relevant when they can win votes. Votes are the currency and profit for political parties.

This explains why there is so much bitterness from the CCC and Nelson Chamisa, who have once again failed to make any meaningful political strides and attain votes.

While it is unfortunat­e that the opposition is tearing itself apart, this infighting and confusion that is self-inflicted presents an opportunit­y to rewrite the wrongs that were done in the August 2023 harmonised elections, wherein the electorate was deceived into voting for the clueless opposition.

The masses in the affected constituen­cies have indeed seen first-hand that voting for the CCC was indeed a grave mistake and will, thus, vote for consistenc­y and choose the people’s party, ZANU PF, which is the only people-centric movement in the country.

It is through its people-centric approach that ZANU PF has managed to have an everlastin­g covenant with the electorate.

The CCC has exposed itself as unprofessi­onal and confused outfit masqueradi­ng as a political party. As it stands, ZANU PF will storm to victory again in the upcoming by-elections through its great works.

It will deploy its mobilisati­on arsenal and bring out the people in huge numbers to vote for ZANU PF once more.

To make matters worse for the CCC, all their unpatrioti­c efforts to discredit our beloved country’s institutio­ns and electoral systems continue to suffer blow after blow, as earlier last week the Southern African Developmen­t Community (SADC) endorsed Zimbabwe’s election results during a virtual Extraordin­ary Heads of State Summit held on Tuesday.

SADC, through its chairperso­n and President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, extended its congratula­tions to Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa for overseeing peaceful and credible elections of the highest standard.

President Mnangagwa and His Majesty King Mswati III, the King of Eswatini, were further congratula­ted and praised during the virtual summit for the exemplary elections that were recently conducted in their two respective countries.

The elections were viewed as tranquil and were carried out in an orderly manner and were, thus, a major victory for democracy as they made a significan­t contributi­on to peace, stability and harmony among all living forces of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Eswatini.

This bold and correct declaratio­n by SADC is the final blow to the CCC’s shenanigan­s of trying to discredit ZANU PF’s resounding and undisputed victory.

As I have indicated in previous submission­s, ZANU PF is unmoved by all efforts to cause chaos and despondenc­y in our beloved country and remains resolute and committed to meeting its electoral promises and uplifting our people to economic prosperity through President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030.

Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General for ZANU PF. He writes in his own capacity.

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