Online Reporter
Chief Reporter
THE Government has initiated processes to begin implementing various resolutions adopted at the ZANU PF National People’s Conference in October last year, where delegates also unanimously endorsed the extension of President Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028, a Cabinet Minister has said.
During the annual conference, the party endorsed various resolutions in key areas, including the state of the economy, social services and poverty eradication, infrastructure and utilities, value addition and beneficiation, liberation war heritage, the environment and climate, engagement and re-engagement, as well as the state of the party.
As its first resolution, the ruling party unanimously agreed that President Mnangagwa’s term of office must be extended to 2030 to enable him to fulfil his unprecedented transformative development programmes.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said: “Firstly, let me clarify that ZANU PF National People’s Conference resolutions are not individualist but collective. They are a product of wide consultation and consensus from districts to provinces, leading up to their adoption at conference . . . In other words, they are bottom up, with the people indicating what they desire done by the Government through the party. So, once resolutions are adopted, each respective ministry will take up issues raised with respect to their portfolio. The party Secretary-General will also write to each respective ministry highlighting issues raised within their purview. Ministries will then consider the resolution with a view of ensuring their implementation and if there are issues that require legislative interventions, then the ministries will initiate the normal processes to enact the legislation.”
The resolution to extend President Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028, Minister Ziyambi said, will require a constitutional amendment, which will follow relevant processes.
“Once issues arise that require legislative interventions, then the relevant legislative process will be initiated. The normal process of coming up with principles for consideration by Cabinet will be done, followed by the drafting of the Bill once Cabinet has approved the principles,” he said.
“The Attorney-General’s department will then draft the Bill and do nationwide consultations to inform their drafting process.
“Once the drafting process is complete, the Bill is tabled before the Cabinet Committee on Legislation for its consideration and then tabled before Cabinet for approval before being taken to Parliament for gazetting.
“In this case, the resolution calling the President to stay requires a constitutional amendment. This means we will have to come up with principles to amend the relevant sections and initiate the relevant processes.
“The actual processes will be clear once the Bill is available, so l cannot pre-empt a process that requires several approvals by articulating exactly how this will be done, but yes, the will of the people will be given effect through the necessary amendments.”
Minister Ziyambi further explained that the process of crafting the resolutions starts at the cell level.
“The grassroots are the ones that indicate issues they want to be dealt with at the conference. These are then discussed at district and provincial levels, leading up to consolidated conference resolutions. These then inform policy issues regarding the way forward.”
ZANU PF’s Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa had not responded to questions sent to him by the time of going to print.
Although President Mnangagwa has on several occasions indicated his willingness to step down when his second term expires in 2028, delegates at the conference unanimously endorsed the resolution to extend his term.
ZANU PF members have also directed the Government to proceed with the necessary constitutional amendments needed to clear the path for President Mnangagwa to stay on.
