Back to Index

This article participates on the following special index pages:

National People's Congress resolutions
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu PF)
December 13, 2009

http://www.talkzimbabwe.com/news/130/ARTICLE/5770/2009-12-14.html

The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) held its 5th Ordinary National People's Congress at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), in Harare, from 09-13 December 2009 in accordance with Article 5 (20-28) of the Party's Constitution, as amended, under the theme 'United in Defence of Our National Resources and People's Economic Empowerment'.

The President and First Secretary, Cde R.G. Mugabe, officially opened the plenary on 11 December 2009. All the Party's ten provinces attended. Congress received delegations and written solidarity messages from invited political organisations from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, the rest of the continent, Asia, the Americas and beyond.

After extensive deliberations touching on the internal and external factors affecting the Party and the people, Congress made the following resolutions:

A. On the State of the Party

Congress has acknowledged the hostile informational, diplomatic, economic and political environmental background against which it has taken place, which is characterised by the continuance of sanctions, the regime change onslaught, internal and external negative developments associated with machinations of the MDC Formations, their handlers and affiliate organisations as well as a number of debilitating internal challenges within the Party.

Congress, therefore:

1. Resolves that the Party's national strategic objective for the next five years shall be the checking, containment and ultimate defeat of the West's neo-colonial regime change agenda by securing a decisive and uncontested victory in the next Harmonised Elections.

2. Directs the Party to re-organise itself, rationalise its structures, re-introduce focused ideological education at all levels of its leadership and membership, shun factionalism and stop its current obsession with leadership positions to refocus on advancing the interests of the people and meeting their needs.

3. Resolves that the Party, in its mobilisation strategies, should streamline and enforce its ideological thrust and put the people first in order to reassert its preeminent position as the Party of Liberation and the champion of independence, empowerment, democracy, human rights and rule of law.

4. Calls upon the Party to improve its internal democratic culture, ensure the conduct of open, transparent and competitive selection and election processes to fill all leadership positions and allow the will of the people to prevail in all cases.

5. Directs the Party to develop a clear-cut leadership renewal and continuity policy at all levels in order to continually reinvigorate, renew and ensure the effective transfer of the Party's ideological underpinnings, values, practices and the ethos of the Liberation Struggle between successive generations of leaders.

6. Directs the Party to adopt a new business culture that generates sufficient resources to sustain its programmes and activities.

7. Congratulates Cde R.G. Mugabe for being re-elected as President and First Secretary, Cde Joyce Teurai Ropa Mujuru as Vice President and Second Secretary, Cde John Landa Nkomo as Vice President and Second Secretary, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo as the National Chairman, all newly elected members of the Central Committee and all newly appointed members of the Politburo.

8. Hails and commends the Party, the President and First Secretary and all its leadership and membership at all levels for having, under Cde R.G. Mugabe's able and wise stewardship, nurtured, preserved and maintained the national unity of Zimbabwe as entombed in the Unity Accord of 1987 during the last five-year review period and, therefore, reminds those who have been placed at the helm of the Party by the people of the heavy responsibility they bear in carrying forward this national unity and steering the Party towards a resounding victory in the next Harmonised Elections.

B. On the State of the Economy

Congress has noted that the national economy continues to be under siege from the machinations of the Western detractors and their internal MDC surrogates, in particular, the impact of declared and undeclared Western sanctions and the resultant low capacity utilisation in all sectors.

Acknowledging Zimbabwe's abundant natural resource endowment, its favourable climate, high quality human resource base and advantageous geographical location, Congress, therefore:

1. Commends and heralds the economic stabilisation measures instituted by the Party well ahead of the formation of the Inclusive Government, which are responsible for the first signs of recovery that are now evident in the economy.

2. Condemns, in the strongest of terms, the reckless actions of the Minister of Finance, T. Biti, in particular his abuse of constitutional authority to prevent the release of the US$510 million IMF Global Financial Crisis mitigation facility, his systematic denial of seasonal support to the agricultural sector and his peanut budget for the year 2010 in pursuance of petty personal ambitions and the parochial reactionary agenda of his MDC Formation.

3. Calls on the Inclusive Government to identify sectors of the economy in which key investments should be focused in order to reap maximum benefit from the country's comparative advantage in mining, agriculture, tourism and human capital.

4. Resolves that the Inclusive Government must institute measures to retain skilled manpower and stem or reverse the brain drain as a way of promoting the people as the country's most precious resource.

5. In sensitivity to the difficulties that people, especially the majority rural and urban vulnerable, are facing in generating and accessing foreign currency, Congress calls on the Inclusive Government to institute measures to address the problems associated with the current multi-currency induced liquidity crunch through the enhancement of productivity, leading, as soon as key fundamentals in the economy permit, to the reintroduction of a sovereign national currency.

6. Urges the Inclusive Government to take full advantage of the emergence of new economic powerhouses (vis Brazil, Russia, India, China, etc) and the resurgence of South-South cooperation. Concurrently, the country should also edify and deepen its economic relations with the traditional cooperating partners so as to maximize national benefit.

C. On Land Reform, Resettlement and Agriculture

Congress notes that the Land Reform Programme represents the successful transfer of property rights over land from the white colonial settler community to the rightful indigenous owners of the nation's God given resources.

Recognising the unrelenting machinations of its detractors to reverse the land reform programme through the current constitution drafting process, deliberate denial of resources to enhance agricultural productivity by ministers from the MDC Formations in the Inclusive Government and the deliberate encouragement and entrenchment of donor dependency/dependency syndrome amongst the people as opposed to their empowerment.

Congress, therefore:

1. Castigates the MDC Formations and their Western handlers for orchestrating efforts that are aimed at reversing the Land Reform Programme and undermining agricultural productivity amongst resettled farmers.

2. Instructs the Party to ensure that the new constitution and the current Post-Maputo Inter-Party Negotiations do not reverse the Land Reform Programme and instead ensure security of tenure which entrenches ownership and control of the indigenous population over the nation's land and natural resources.

3. Resolves that the Party should resolutely champion and defend policies and programmes that enhance assured funding of agriculture, agricultural productivity and promote reform of institutions that serve agriculture such as the agricultural banks, marketing agencies, suppliers of inputs, agro-processors, insurers and research, training and extension facilities.

4. Calls on the Party to spearhead the re-introduction of production side agricultural subsidies with in-built mechanisms to determine their appropriate entry-point and cost recovery mechanisms.

5. Urges the Inclusive Government to conclude the Land Acquisition Exercise by expediting the remaining components of land allocation, distribution and security of tenure.

6. Calls on the Inclusive Government to resuscitate and continue past programmes that promote increased agricultural mechanisation and irrigation development, on farm infrastructure and agro-processing.

7. Commits the Party to fine-tune and rationalise its socialdemocratic ideology to sponsor the launch of a deliberate developmental economic paradigm rooted in the following:

• Promotion of household food self-sufficiency;
• The generation of excess production in order to stimulate aggregate demand;
• Value addition through agro-processing at the household level;
• Stimulation of domestic savings as a vehicle for growing wealth at the household level;
• Entrenching the control of the indigenous people over the country's natural resources through the consolidation of such policies and programmes as the Land Reform Programme and the 51:49% local-foreign ownership indigenisation benchmark legislation.

D. On the GPA and the Inclusive Government

Congress acknowledges that the Party entered into negotiations with the MDC Formations mandated by the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit held in Dar es Salam on 29 March 2007, which culminated in the signing of the Global Political Agreement on 15 September 2008 and the inauguration of the Inclusive Government on 13 February 2009.

In this regard, Congress conveys the profound gratitude of the Party and people of Zimbabwe to former President Thabo Mbeki and his Facilitation Team for the patient, humble and skilful manner in which they handled the protracted Zimbabwe Inter-Party Dialogue from March 2007 until the Kinshasa SADC Summit in August 2009 and, therefore, takes note of the new Facilitation Team headed by President Jacob Zuma in the Post-Maputo rounds of the Dialogue.

Congress has noted that the Inclusive Government brings the Party into partnership with ideologically incompatible MDC Formations from which it must extricate itself in order to retain its mantle as the only dominant and ascendant political party that is truly representative and determined to safeguard the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.

Congress, therefore:

1. Castigates the continuance of the illegal declared and undeclared Western sanctions which remain a paramount and decisive outstanding issue in the Inter-Party dialogue on which the nation must speak with one voice and challenges the MDC Formations to undergo fundamental mind frame change (KUCHINJA PFUNGWA) in calling for their immediate and unconditional removal.

2. Expresses confidence that the new Facilitation Team will continue with the same diligence, patience and understanding that the Zimbabwe issue has delicate, sensitive and fundamental concerns on both sides that cannot be resolved overnight.

3. Instructs the President and First Secretary and the Party negotiators to ensure that all outstanding issues, once agreed, must be implemented concurrently. This means there should be no movement on the concerns of the MDC Formations without corresponding and simultaneous redress of ZANU-PF's concerns such as the illegal Western sanctions, Western Funded pirate radio broadcasts and Western interference in Zimbabwe's internal politics through the funding of parallel government structures and the sponsoring of political activities of NGOs as a force multiplier for the MDC Formations.

4. Resolves that the President and First Secretary and the ZANU-PF negotiators should not countenance any introduction or inclusion in the ongoing Inter-Party Dialogue of provisions or agreements, which seek to reverse or undermine the gains of the Liberation Struggle.

5. Signals its determination to reject any outcome of the Constitution-making process that is not home grown. An acceptable outcome would be a Constitution made by Zimbabweans for Zimbabwe, which entrenches the ethos and gains of the Liberation Struggle and is not the product of any external interference. No foreigners, individual, corporate or national in whatever capacity they may from time to time find themselves involved in aspects of Zimbabwe's bilateral dispute with Britain, have the right to dictate or impose a Constitutional order on Zimbabwe.

6. Declares that the raising and maintenance of Security Forces tailored to specific threat perceptions is an inalienable right of every sovereign state. Zimbabwe's Security Forces are a product of the National Liberation Struggle, belong to the people and are mandated to defend the country's territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty. ZANU-PF, as the Party of revolution and the people's vanguard, shall not allow the Security Forces of Zimbabwe to be the subject of any negotiation for a so called 'security sector reform' that is based on patent misrepresentations of Zimbabwe's heroic history and for the mere purpose of weakening the state so that it can be easily overthrown.

7. Directs all Party members and organs to fully participate in the constitution making process in order to prevent it from being hijacked by those who wish to effect regime change or to undermine the gains of the Liberation Struggle.

E. On Media and ICT

Congress reaffirms the Party's commitment to promote access to information, media freedom, freedom of expression and the enhancement of Zimbabwe's ICT profile while recognising that this is one of the main areas that are being manipulated by the MDC Formations and their Western handlers in furtherance of their anti-Zimbabwe propaganda blitz.

Congress further notes that, the MDC Formations, through their negative and polarising disinformation campaign, are undermining national cohesion.

Congress, therefore:

1. Condemns, in the strongest terms, the continuing violation of Zimbabwe's airwaves by the Voice of America Studio 7, Voice of the People, Short Wave Radio Africa and a myriad of Internet based platforms in blatant breach of the GPA.

2. Condemns, unequivocally, the ECONET Wireless Network, for launching an electronic warfare attack against ZANU-PF during this Congress by broadcasting falsehoods and hate messages designed to cause alarm and despondency in violation of Zimbabwe's laws and the letter and spirit of the GPA.

Congress, therefore, calls upon the Security Ministries and the mother ICT Ministry of the Inclusive Government to locate, arrest and take deterrent punitive action against the perpetrators of this dastardly attack.

3. Directs the Party to institute measures and programmes to enhance its ICT and media capabilities in order to counteract this threat to national cohesion.

F. On International Relations

Congress acknowledges, with gratitude, the solidarity and support for the Party's principles, ideology and cause that continue to come from friendly progressive countries and political organisations worldwide.

Congress further notes, with grave concern, the continued efforts by Britain and its allies to undermine the GPA and the Inclusive Government through the continuance of sanctions, coordination of politically motivated humanitarian support and investor resistance through the so-called 'Fishmonger Group' as well as the West's unrelenting efforts to shrink Zimbabwe's diplomatic space.

Congress, therefore:

1. Resolves to direct the Party to pursue prudent and innovative diplomacy which seeks to retain its existing friendships and cultivate new ones in all regions of the world based on equitable partnerships, mutual respect and sovereign equality.

2. Instructs the Party to increase the tempo and content of its diplomatic leveraging, lobbying and engagement with political parties and countries of interest.

G. On Social Services

Congress recognises the poor state of social services in the country, in particular in the areas of education, health delivery, water and sanitation, energy and electricity and public transportation, caused by the decline in the economy as a result of the Western imposed sanctions and the deleterious effects of the regime change onslaught.

Congress attributes this poor delivery of social services to the undue encroachment of foreign funded NGOs into this traditional domain of Government.

Congress, therefore:

1. Directs the Inclusive Government, even as it may welcome the support and partnership of other wellmeaning non-governmental players, to reassert itself as the primary provider of social services to the population as one of the key deliverables of Zimbabwe's Millennium Development Goals.

2. Instructs the Party and the inclusive Government to set benchmarks for all local authorities, when setting their budgets, to remain sensitive to the needs and the limited savings of the people under the current adverse economic environment.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP