ZANU-PF CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002742

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2012
TAGS: PGOV PINR ZI ZANU PF
SUBJECT: ZANU-PF CONFERENCE

Classified By: POLOFF KIMBERLY JEMISON FOR REASONS 1.5 C/D.


1. (C) Summary. The Zimbabwe ruling party,s annual
conference has been scheduled for December 11-15 in Chinhoyi.
No major changes in the ZANU-PF leadership or discussion of
a Mugabe succession are expected to be announced, although
the persistent rumor that ailing Vice President Simon Muzenda
will resign continues to make the rounds. End Summary.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE


2. (C) Fred Shava, ZANU-PF,s Director of Administration,
confirmed to poloff on December 2 that ZANU-PF,s annual
conference will be held in Chinhoyi on December 11-15.
Unlike the ZANU-PF congress held every five years, half the
party,s 6,000 delegates will attend this year,s conference.
Harare diplomats will be invited to attend the opening
ceremony and embassies should receive their invitations
shortly, the director noted. Shava described the conference
as the party,s annual &management review,8 which is
different from the 5-year congress. The 5-year congress is
tasked with electing the party,s 280 member Central
Committee, whereas according to the ZANU-PF constitution, no
leadership changes can be made at a conference. The next
5-year congress will be in 2006. (NOTE: Poloff had been
trying to meet with Shava for 3 months but was always put
off. Shava expressed a desire to meet again in February,
after the December conference and administrative meetings in
January. END NOTE.)


3. (C) This year,s agenda will focus on land reform, price
controls, international relations, and the economy, according
to Shava. Shava seemed particularly interested in the state
of the economy and repairing international relations. He
also said there would not be a discussion of succession--a
stance seconded by party spokesman, Nathan Shamuyarira, in an
article in the December 1 edition of the GOZ-controlled
Sunday Mail. (NOTE: On November 19, Poloff met with party
deputy commissar Sikhanyiso Ndlovu who refused to discuss
party issues, deferring all questions to the Secretary for
External Affairs, Didymus Mutasa, with whom Poloff has been
unable to meet. END NOTE.)

COMMENT
--------------

4. (C) This year,s ZANU-PF conference promises nothing new.
Both the party Director of Administration and the Spokesman
have dashed any hopes of a party-wide discussion of
succession by saying there will be no discussion of the issue
until 2006--two years before the next presidential election
and one year after the next parliamentary elections. We
expect no other major internal changes, although the rumor
that VP Muzenda will step down because of his failing
health--reportedly AIDS relate--continues to circulate. The
conference will most likely serve as a venue to defend the
party,s choices that have crippled the economy and
engendered a grave political crisis. END COMMENT.


SULLIVAN