(Last Updated on October 23, 2012 by Editor)
ZIMBABWE – ZanuPF expects to host at least 5 000 delegates at its 13th Annual National People’s Conference set for Gweru in December.
The conference, which will reaffirm President Mugabe’s candidature, would be the last before the country holds harmonised elections set for March next year.
ZanuPF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said in an interview yesterday that preparations for the conference were progressing well. “All preparations are on course and are we are just waiting for the completion of the building where we are going to host our conference,” he said.
Gumbo said they were still making consultations on the theme of the conference. He said the theme would be announced in the next few days because it had to be printed on all the material that would be used during the conference such as party regalia and Tshirts.
Gumbo said senior party officials visited the venue recently and expressed satisfaction with progress.
“We visited the venue recently and I myself come from the Midlands province and I visit it frequently to check progress,” he said.
ZanuPF national chairman Simon Khaya recently said the party had planned to use its 13th National People’s Conference to sharpen its strategies and ensure a resounding victory in the harmonised polls.
He said the conference would audit implemented resolutions of the conference held in Bulawayo last year. “The national coordinating committee has been meeting after every fortnight to ensure a resounding success of the conference,” said Khaya Moyo.
“It is very important to note that the conference is not an ordinary conference. This will be a special one as it comes before harmonised elections which at the moment are earmarked possibly for March 2013.”
Khaya Moyo said they had also set up a provincial coordinating committee working in the Midlands.
The national coordinating committee, he said, would work on the theme of the conference at its next meeting.
Last year’s conference drew 6 000 delegates drawn from the country’s 10 provinces. The party resolved that general elections should be held this year, but they were postponed after Copac failed to complete the constitution making process.
The crafting of the new constitution is the major benchmark agreed by political parties in the inclusive Government before the country goes to the next elections.