Paul Nyathi

THE rolling ZANU PF party recently indicated that their annual conference was gong to go ahead at all costs under strict Covid-19 regulations.

The party had declared that the number of delegates to the conference which was set to be held in Mashonaland Central province in December would be scaled down in line with COVID-19 guidelines.

The party’s administration director Dickson Dzora even visited the provincial capital, Bindura, to assess potential venues for the province.

He said delegates would be reduced from their usual numbers of between 7 000 to 9 000 to even less than half the number.

“There are major decisions to be made, one of which is the number of delegates under COVID-19, the conference is normally attended by 7 000 to 9 000 delegates, but the provincial leadership is expected to make recommendations on how the figures should be cut in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dzora said.

All that has gone into flames after President Mnangagwa’s deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, who is also Health minister, last week suspended the holding of by-elections citing COVID-19, which meant that the party can not be caught in double standards holding its conference while elections are banned.

The ZANU PF Politburo yesterday resolved to indefinitely postpone the party’s 19th Annual People’s Conference to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 as directed by Chiwenga.

Briefing the media after the 345th Session of the Politburo, Zanu PF acting secretary for Information and Publicity Patrick Chinamasa said the conference had been postponed indefinitely to allow the Government, the party and people to contain the pandemic without undue disturbances.

Chinamasa said the Politburo received a report from the Conference Coordinating Committee chaired by the party’s national chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri on the state of preparedness of the party to hold the National People’s Conference.

“However in line with Covid-19 Level 2 restrictions currently obtaining, the Politburo resolved that having done well to contain the Covid-19 disaster as compared to other countries, the party must not get carried away. In times of national emergencies such as Covid-19, the priority of the party should be to protect the lives of our people and the security of our nation,” said Chinamasa.

He said the Politburo deliberated on various options available on holding the conference with suggestions on either, holding it virtually or postponing it indefinitely and hold it when the situation normalises.

“After lively, honest and frank deliberations, the Politburo took the decision to postpone the Annual People’s Conference indefinitely, to allow the Government, party and the people to contain the Covid-19 pandemic without undue disturbances.”

The conference, Chinamasa said, would be held when the situation normalises and whenever that happens, Mashonaland Central Province would still host it.

“At this moment we decided that we must comply with the Covid-19 regulations restrictions so that we do not jeopardise or risk the lives of our population,’’ said Chinamasa.