Online Reporter
Joseph Madzimure
Zimpapers Politics Hub
ZANU PF will remain a formidable political force in Zimbabwe whose existence cannot be wished away because of its trusted organic grassroots connection with the masses, sound and meaningful policies, and the ability to preserve the country’s heritage for future generations.
At a time some political parties in the region are being shaken, and some sliding towards extinction, Zanu PF’s influence, strength and resilience have grown.
Even its local opponents, sponsored by the West to effect regime change, have realised they also need to work with the revolutionary party since it has withstood external pressures internally and externally. After losing elections in 2018, opposition leaders like the NCA’s Professor Lovemore Madhuku coined the phrase: “Losers must work with winners”, while Douglas Mwonzora of the MDC-T raised concern over growing toxic politics and coined the phrase: “Politics of rational disputation”.
For the CCC, the attempted “Doctrine of strategic ambiguity” to defeat Zanu PF was one of the many strategies halted by the winning party.
The revolutionary party will continue to dominate the country’s political space due to its sound policies which are people driven and will remain relevant to the future generations.
Founded on socialist ideological principles, which among other things emphasised the need for equality among all races, tribes in a typical classless set up, the party has managed to remain relevant in that it has adapted to the dynamics within the social, political and economic frontiers through the enunciation of policies that favour the grassroots.
To stamp its authority, the revolutionary party has a formidable youth, women and the veterans’ wings who are the stockholders of the party.
The socialism trajectory espoused by Zanu PF is a socio-economic philosophy which guarantees freedom of the press, expression, association, assembly, independence of the judiciary and the existence and adherence to the rule of law, under the confines of its constitution.
The protection, security, development, happiness and the satisfaction of the basic needs of the individual are central to its beliefs.
As true adherents of this socio-economic philosophy, Zanu PF is totally opposed to tribalism, regionalism, ethnic chauvinism, factionalism, racism, nepotism and corruption.
It is this brand of socialism that has continued to be the guiding principle of the revolutionary party and to a greater extent has received tremendous support from the majority of Zimbabweans, especially those in rural areas who easily identify with the party as not just home-grown, but also has their interests at heart.
Zanu PF has continued to dominate the political arena despite demonisation of the country and the illegal sanctions imposed by the country’s detractors because its policies have remained focused on mass empowerment as opposed to merely being just “bass boys”.
Through its sound party policies, the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa has rolled out life transforming programmes that have improved people’s livelihoods for good.
Under the Second Republic, the Government has been working relentlessly and tirelessly towards building a new Zimbabwe, a country with a thriving and open economy, capable of creating opportunities for investors and generating the much-needed employment for its citizenry.
Another undisputable factor that has made Zanu PF remain popular and more visible is that it is structurally strong given its grassroots support, which manifests itself through cells, branches, districts, up to provincial levels.
Zanu PF, through its charismatic and revolutionary leader President Mnangagwa and his deputies, has over the years convinced the electorate that it is the only party capable of fulfilling the aspirations of the liberation struggle.
It scored major successes in education, empowerment, local governance system and other various other facets of the nation-state.
Judging from last year’s harmonised elections, voting for Zanu PF will ensure that the country, its wealth, its resources, its land and its sovereignty do not revert to former colonisers or its black sell-outs in the form of the opposition.
It is also important to highlight that Zanu PF has remained popular because at independence the party showed the way in espousing national reconciliation, a policy which called for forgiveness among all Zimbabweans.
The Zanu PF led Government has called for guns to be turned into ploughshares, a policy that ensures that the country remains peaceful and stable.
As a democratic revolutionary party, Zanu PF is not averse to multi-party politics as exemplified by the emergence and participation of a number of parties.
Every year, the party holds its annual conference meant to assess the performance and progress made during the course of the year.
During the conferences they come up with resolutions which set a significant tone for the party’s strategic direction as Zimbabwe forges ahead in its pursuit of economic growth and social transformation.
The conference’s resolutions, built on the foundation of party supremacy, offer a clear roadmap for both the party and the country to navigate as it moves forward, while also aligning with President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 initiative.
Through its conferences, the ruling party has demonstrated a renewed focus on addressing long-standing issues in the economy, such as the retooling of the manufacturing sector, taming inflation, increase agricultural productivity, which have seen the country having a record wheat harvest for the past three years.
The conference’s resolutions, particularly those aimed at modernising agriculture, improving irrigation systems and addressing food security, are critical steps that could pave way for sustainable development in rural areas.
The resolution to modernise existing irrigation infrastructure and develop new facilities to use Zimbabwe’s water bodies is a crucial one, especially considering the country’s challenges with food security.
By leveraging the available natural resources, the party aims to boost agricultural productivity, a sector that remains the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy. Ensuring that agricultural inputs reach beneficiaries on time, particularly vulnerable communities, is another critical resolution that, if implemented effectively, could significantly reduce food insecurity.
This resolution not only reaffirms Zanu PF’s commitment to rural development, but also aligns with the party’s broader goal of transforming the agricultural sector into a cornerstone of national growth.
Ensuring that underprivileged communities benefit from these programmes is a step towards reducing inequalities, which could, in turn, foster social stability and economic resilience.
One of the most significant aspects of the conference was the party’s focus on economic reforms aimed at enhancing growth.
In an exclusive interview, Zanu PF National Political Commissar Cde Munyaradzi Machacha confirmed that the party ties its ideology on strong, clear and people centred policies.
“The second source of our strength is our structure. We reach out to every village, street. We involve every citizen in our activities. We are more people-oriented, we speak to the needs of our people. It is these policies, ideology and the way we are structured, our constitution, our fairness in dealing with internal matters, our democratic practices, internally and externally,” said Cde Machacha.
All those factors make Zanu PF a formidable party which is hard to beat.
The 21st Zanu PF Annual People’s Conference this year, he said, was the party’s major achievement; it was a well organised conference to the highest international standards.
“The resolutions that came out of the conference are going to direct the party and Government in tackling the challenges that exist in communities, economy and to make sure that we continue to grow our economy and to hunt for targets for an upper middle income economy by 2030 and even achieving that target way ahead of time.
“The resolutions are the basis from which we craft our party programmes. They are the basis which we instruct and exercise the superiority of the party over Government by directing line ministries to act on them and to implement them.
“Party activities are still continuing; we are still engaged in mopping up our cell village exercise; we are still engaged in constitutional meetings such as provincial coordinating committees meetings and other inter-district meetings which are taking place right across the country.
“We are still winding up the business of the year, going back to the people reporting on the outcome of the conference held in Bulawayo and the resolutions that were considered at the conference,” he said.
Cde Machacha said this year was a very momentous year for the party.
“We were coming from a victorious 2023 harmonised elections where Zanu PF romped to victory and its presidential candidate President Mnangagwa also won,” he said.
The year, Cde Machacha said, started with lots of celebrations with parliamentarians also going around thanking the electorate for success in the 2023 elections.
“It is during this year that we saw Zanu PF get more than two thirds majority in the National Assembly by winning by-elections that were conducted across the country mainly because of the confusion within the opposition party. They were recalling their parliamentarians for their own personal reasons out of disunity within the leadership of their party,” he said.
Due to its sound policies, Zanu PF will remain the people’s party.
