ZANU PF Bulawayo province faces a headache over the selection of delegates to the party’s annual conference in Gweru as its structures are in tatters, it was revealed yesterday.
Report by Nqobile Bhebhe/Nduduzo Tshuma
The province is said to be also struggling to raise $150 000 towards the conference due to confusion in its structures.
Each of the 10 administrative provinces were given a target of $150 000 as the party is aiming to raise$2 million for the conference.
Zanu PF is scheduled to hold its conference under the theme Indigenise, Empower, Develop and Create Employment in Gweru between December 4 and 9.
A recent audit of Zanu PF district structures in Bulawayo by a politburo team revealed that they were virtually non-existent.
According to Zanu PF regulations, each district should have a minimum of 102 members, but the audit revealed that some of the party’s districts had as few as 10 people.
Sources said with close to three weeks remaining before the conference, there was no clarity on how the selection criteria would be structured.
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“As of today (Tuesday), we are not sure who is going to the conference.As you are aware, the structures here are non-existent, making the co-ordination of members difficult,” the source said.
“Also we doubt whether we will meet the $150 000 target for the conference.”
However, Zanu PF acting provincial chairperson Killian Sibanda dismissed reports that the party’s structures had crumbled.
“We would have fixed that by the time of going to the conference,” Sibanda said.
“This weekend we have an inter-district conference and after that we will work on filling all vacant posts.”
According to the Zanu PF central committee report tabled at the last national conference in Bulawayo, the city sold 9 810 cards out of 35 000 disbursed to the province in 2010.
On the province’s alleged failure to raise funds, Sibanda said: “We recently set up a committee on that and I do not know where people are getting such reports. That is not true.”
But he could not say whether the province would meet the set targets. Last year, the Zanu PF provincial leadership stretched its begging bowl to the city’s distressed companies pleading for donations. Firms were also invited to exhibit their products at the conference venue, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds, at a cost of between $100 and $120.
Matabeleland South provincial chairman Andrew Langa said they had gathered substantial resources for the conference.
“We have pooled together resources towards the conference, but I cannot disclose the amount we have so far,” he said.
Matabeleland North acting party chairperson Thokozile Mathuthu said they would meet tomorrow to set the date for elections to fill vacant posts.
“We had urged people to send their applications and CVs so we will also be looking at who is eligible,” she said.
