ZANU-PF special congress set for 12-17 December

The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front will hold its special congress in Harare from 12 to 17 December and will indeed push for the elevation of a woman candidate to the presidium.

According to The Herald, party secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo said the agenda of the congress had been sent out on 18 October as required by the party constitution which says notice of a special congress must be sent out at least six weeks before the congress.

According to Chombo party provincial executive councils and provincial coordination committees met over the 14-15 October weekend and unanimously requested party president Robert Mugabe to convene a special congress.

The items to be discussed at the special congress are:

• To confirm and affirm the President and First Secretary, Cde R.G Mugabe as the party presidential candidate in the 2018 harmonised general elections.
• To take stock of the state of the party and to realign its structures, including election of Central Committee members in light of recent developments that have implications on the unity and programmes of the party ahead of the 2018 harmonised general elections
• To design appropriate mass mobilisation and education strategies for the ongoing BVR as well as winning the 2018 general elections
• To review the state of the national economy in order to adopt the necessary policy measures in line with Zim-Asset
• To give directions on the theme and content of the party’s Manifesto for the 2018 general elections (and) to make the necessary constitutional amendments, including the Women’s quota in the Presidium, as per the 2015 and 2016 resolutions of the National Peoples Conference in Victoria Falls and Masvingo respectively.

According to insiders the special congress was effectively called for by co-opted provincial executives as only two out of the 10 party provinces have elected executives.

The co-opted executives are aligned to the G40 faction which is pushing for First Lady Grace Mugabe to be elevated to vice-president with Emmerson Mnangagwa being pushed out.

The constitution could, however, be amended to have a third vice-president which would make the succession issue even murkier.

There have been whispers that the Lacostee faction said to be loyal to Mnangagwa could come up with an alternative woman candidate from the former ZAPU.

If so this would mean that vice-president Phelekezea Mphoko would have to give way unless the constitution is amended to have a third vice-president.

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