Minister Simon Khaya Moyo
Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
THE Zanu-PF Politburo yesterday set December 7 to 13 as the dates for the party’s crunch 15th annual national people’s conference to be held in Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North Province. The announcement yesterday came ahead of the revolutionary party’s Central Committee meeting slated for today.
Briefing journalists soon after the politburo meeting held at the party headquarters, Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cde Simon Khaya-Moyo, said everything was on course for the conference.
He said the Secretary for Administration Cde Ignatius Chombo, had given a detailed report on the preparations for the conference including the appointment of Secretary for Finance Cde Obert Mpofu to lead fundraising activities.
Although Cde Khaya-Moyo did not give figures on how much the party intended to raise, previous reports had indicated that $3 million was needed.
This came out during a meeting that Zanu-PF national political commissar, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, held with the party’s Matabeleland provincial executive, hoteliers and businesspersons last month.
“Preparations are going on extremely well. The conference is earmarked for December 7 to 13, 2015. There will be a politburo meeting on Monday, the 7th of December and a Central Committee meeting on Wednesday the 9th of December 2015. Thursday will be travelling and verification of delegates,” said Cde Khaya-Moyo.
“President Mugabe will officially open the conference on Friday December 11, 2015 and it will run until December 13, 2015.”
Cde Khaya-Moyo said the party’s national disciplinary committee had failed to table its report of cases that it was seized with due to circumstances beyond its control.
As a result, said Cde Khaya-Moyo, the NDC would table its report on the next Politburo meeting.
Several party cadres have either been expelled or given varying periods of suspensions by the NDC chaired by VP Phelekezela Mphoko.
Other members of the committee include First Lady and Secretary for Women’s Affairs Cde Grace Mugabe, Cde Kasukuwere, Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Pupurai Togarepi and Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa.
The Politburo, said Cde Khaya-Moyo expressed gratitude for Cde Mugabe’s visits to provinces where her message had been that of implementation of Zim-Asset and calling for people to be united.
He said Cde Kasukuwere gave a report covering the recent by-elections where Zanu-PF won resoundingly and preparations on more by-elections that were pending.
They include Nkulumane constituency where the incumbent, Thamsanga Mahlangu died last week.
Cde Khaya-Moyo said Cde Chinamasa who is also Finance and Economic Development Minister, gave an update on the implementation of Zim-Asset and what the government was doing to ensure economic recovery.
He said the report was well received including his recent visit to Lima, Peru where he met representatives of multilateral institutions and agreed on a debt strategy aimed at exploring ways to settle arrears.
Cde Khaya-Moyo was responding to inquiries that there was discord within Zanu-PF and the government on how Cde Chinamasa was engaging the multilateral institutions particularly the International Monetary Fund.
“He wouldn’t have gone there if he didn’t have the support of the party,” said Cde Khaya-Moyo.
Cde Togarepi gave a report on income generating projects being undertaken by youths while Secretary for External Relations, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, gave a report on President Mugabe’s recent visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
Commenting on factionalism, Cde Khaya-Moyo said the party would not hesitate to act decisively once such evidence was brought to the fore.
He was commenting on what the party was doing to combat factionalism which Cde Mugabe had been denouncing in her meeting in provinces.