Zanu PF gears up for Annual People’s Conference
STAFF WRITER
Zanu PF has begun preparations for its 2025 Annual National People’s Conference, set to take place later this year in Manicaland Province, Business Times can report.
The announcement by Zanu PF Secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu signals the launch of extensive groundwork for the high-level political gathering, which remains a cornerstone of the ruling party’s internal policymaking, organisational review, and strategic recalibration.
Dr Mpofu said initial preparations were already underway under the stewardship of Zanu PF National Chairperson, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who hails from the host province.
He revealed that a technical committee has been tasked with leading the logistics, planning, and coordination of the multi-day event.
“We are currently setting up a technical committee that will take the lead in preparations,” Dr Mpofu said. “This will be followed by broader consultative meetings to finalise the framework for the event. The conference must be seamless, well organised, and reflective of our values as a party.”
The Annual National People’s Conference convenes senior party leaders, provincial structures, war veterans, youth and women’s wings, and delegates from across the country and the diaspora. It serves as a strategic platform for policy evaluation, organisational review, and alignment between the party and government agendas.
Dr Mpofu emphasised the symbolic importance of Manicaland hosting the 2025 edition, noting the province’s unwavering support for the ruling party and its historic role in the country’s liberation struggle.
“The decision to rotate the conference across provinces reflects Zanu PF’s commitment to inclusivity and national visibility,” he added.
Last year’s conference, held in Bulawayo, resulted in several key resolutions aimed at modernising internal systems and reinforcing the party’s grassroots structures. Among the notable decisions was the decentralisation of ideological training through the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, allowing outreach to district-level structures nationwide.
The Bulawayo conference also endorsed the digitalisation of cell and village registers to enhance transparency in the party’s internal processes and voter mobilisation efforts.
Another major milestone was the formal recognition of war collaborators and non-combatant cadres as Veterans of the Liberation Struggle—a move long demanded by liberation war affiliates and pending necessary constitutional amendments.
Youth empowerment was also a prominent feature of the resolutions, including a call to prioritise graduates of the Youth Service Zimbabwe programme for public sector employment and key national initiatives.
In addition, the Bulawayo meeting endorsed a proposal to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028 to 2030, arguing the extension was necessary to preserve policy continuity and consolidate the gains of the Second Republic.
Dr Mpofu said several resolutions from the 2024 conference were already in motion.
This year’s conference is expected to draw thousands of delegates from across Zimbabwe and the diaspora. Oversight of the event’s preparations and delivery will rest with Zanu PF’s Politburo and Central Committee to ensure both ideological coherence and operational excellence.
The exact dates of the conference will be announced in due course, but internal structures have been instructed to accelerate mobilisation and coordination efforts ahead of what the party views as a crucial political milestone in its calendar.
