ZAPU has announced that its elective congress will be held in Gweru in December, with the gathering expected to trigger a fierce battle for the party presidency as the incumbent leader, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, seeks another term in office.
Party secretary-general Mthulisi Hanana said preparations for the congress were under way, with the final dates set to be confirmed before the end of the month.
"The congress will be held in December in Gweru, though the actual date is yet to be finalised. But I am sure by the end of the month everything will be finalised," Hanana told Sunday Southern Eye.
He described the gathering as one of the most significant in the party's recent history and predicted that a fierce contest for the presidency was on the cards.
"It is going to be a blockbuster congress because there is a serious push to replace the current president, Nkomo, and he is also defending his territory," he said.
Nkomo, who is seeking a second term as party president, is expected to face a challenge from Australia-based medical doctor Bekithemba Bulle. Midlands politician Bernard Magugu has also emerged as an aspiring candidate for the party's top position.
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The congress comes at a time when Zapu is still trying to heal from years of internal strife following its 2021 elective congress in Bulawayo, where Nkomo was elected president. The outcome of that congress triggered divisions within the party, including legal disputes over the election and disciplinary action against some senior members.
The infighting resulted in expulsions and the departure of several members, exposing deep cracks within the former liberation movement. Political observers have said the December congress will be a crucial test of whether the party can move beyond those disputes and unite behind a common vision.
In a candid assessment of his own future within the party, Hanana indicated he was considering stepping down.
"As for me, I think I will be standing down,” he said. “I no longer believe in the Zapu project to be president—I don't think they can deliver in the way that we expect. If I stay, I think I will always be on a collision course with them”.
Despite the leadership contest, Hanana said the party was planning a high-profile congress that would attract regional attention.
"We are hoping to invite regional former presidents and there is going to be a gala dinner. We will, however, provide more details of the event. At the moment we are still planning," he said.
In 2008, the late Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa and several others quit Zanu PF to revive the opposition party. Dabengwa died on May 23, 2019, in Kenya while travelling to Zimbabwe from India, where he had sought medical treatment