All Set for the 23rd ZANU PF National People’s Conference Official Opening

By Own Correspodent

Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe — Thousands of ZANU PF delegates have converged on Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) for the party’s 23rd Annual National People’s Conference, which runs from 12 to 17 October 2026 under the theme “From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Empowerment Towards Vision 2030.”

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the party’s First Secretary, is scheduled to officially open the main proceedings today, Friday, October 16, with the closing ceremony set for Saturday.

The gathering follows preparatory Politburo and Central Committee meetings held earlier in the week at party headquarters in Harare.

Approximately 7,000 to 7,500 delegates from across the country’s 10 provinces are expected to review progress on previous resolutions, deliberate on national development priorities and shape the party’s strategic direction.

ZANU PF Director of Information and Publicity, Farai Marapira, briefed the media on the state of readiness ahead of the main sessions today.

“Everything is finished,” he said at the conference centre, “delegates started arriving yesterday (Wednesday October 14) and the majority are coming in today (Thursday) … Their accommodation facilities are ready. Everything to do with the conference is ready.”

Marapira highlighted the party’s tradition of leaving lasting infrastructure in host communities

“We have seen a lot of legacy projects being done as per the tradition of ZANU-PF.

"We have seen the revamping of the water reticulation in Chinhoyi. We have seen the oxygen plant at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, the first of its kind, which draws oxygen from the air we breathe and converts it into medical oxygen.

"We have seen a solar plant at the Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital which supplies 80% of its electrical needs.

"We have seen the construction of the mining investment pension fund hostels which are going to ensure further assistance to the accommodation of Chinhoyi University of Technology students,” he said.

He added that boreholes have produced sufficient water for the town, with work ongoing on the purification plant to supply households.

Hostels at CUT have been fully refurbished with new beds and linen, he said.

“This is what ZANU-PF is about. Everywhere we congregate we leave a legacy… Fingerprints of development… Ensuring that this is a Zimbabwe in which no one and no place is left behind," Marapira said.

President Mnangagwa said the improved water infrastructure is expected to benefit more than 3,000 households in Chinhoyi.

The broader water system upgrade aims to increase supply from about 22 megalitres to nearly 88 megalitres per day, supporting urban growth including the planned 28-hectare Trabablas City project, whose groundbreaking is expected during the conference period.

Alongside the deliberations, more than 300 small and medium enterprises, public institutions, and private organisations are showcasing products and services at a business expo that organisers say has been oversubscribed.

The conference is framed as a working session to translate party policy into tangible development outcomes.

President Mnangagwa has repeatedly stressed that success is “the DNA” of the revolutionary party and that the gathering must produce results ordinary Zimbabweans can feel.

Key agenda items include reviewing Central Committee reports, thematic committee presentations, solidarity messages from regional and international partners and discussions on aligning internal party structures with recent national constitutional amendments.

Provincial leaders, including Mashonaland West Chairperson, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, have reported smooth logistics and a “buzz in the air.”

Delegates began arriving in significant numbers on Thursday, with accreditation largely complete.

Resolutions adopted during the conference are expected to inform government policy and national programme implementation in the years ahead.