(NEWZIMBABWE) Zanu PF ups conference preps

Zanu PF ups conference preps
by Staff Reporter
24/10/2010 00:00:00

ZANU PF is stepping up preparations for its December conference which is expected to confirm President Robert Mugabe as the party’s candidate for elections the veteran leader insists must be held by June next year.

The party’s secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa said preparations were at an advanced stage for the conference set to be held in the eastern border city of Mutare.

“At national level with regards to our national conference to be held in Mutare in December, we are almost through and thus we have already decided on the venue, date, number of delegates and issues to be discussed at the conference,” he said.

He said the Zanu-PF Politburo would, this week, convene a meeting to discuss the conference which will assess the “health of the party” ahead of the key general elections.

“However, for now l cannot comment on everything that has been made regarding the conference and such information will only be available after we convene our politburo meeting next week (this week),” he said.

Zanu PF’s national conferences are not ordinarily elective but the party is set to use the Mutare gathering to endorse the 86 year-old Mugabe for another showdown with long time rival and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Analysts see little chance of Mugabe’s would-be successors, Vice President Joyce Mujuru and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa challenging him.

Mugabe has ruled the country since independence in 1980 and has been at the helm of his party for even longer.

He has since said he is available to represent the party in elections and has already secured endorsement of key sections with the Women’s League saying they want him to “rule forever”.

Although there are fears the country may not be ready for the elections with key reforms still way behind schedule Mugabe has insisted elections must be held to choose a substantive government in place of the coalition administration.

The Zanu PF leader has been expressed his exasperation at having to share power with Tsvangirai recently lamenting that “part of the things that are happening (in the coalition) are foolish”.

Meanwhile the party’s administrative provinces have been charged with raising funds for the conference with Manicaland chairman, Mike

Madiro saying said they had already secured 10 goats, eight tonnes of maize meal and 25 cattle out of the 50 expected to be slaughtered for the event.