via Zapu cancels congress – DailyNews Live Jeffrey Muvundusi • 14 December 2015
BULAWAYO – The Dumiso Dabengwa-led Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) party has cancelled its congress due to financial challenges crippling the former revolutionary party’s operations.
The three-day congress where at least 3 000 delegates were expected had been slated for the Amphitheatre in Bulawayo from December 15 to 17.
Party deputy national spokesperson Patrick Ndlovu yesterday told the Daily News that the congress had been postponed to next year.
Instead of the congress, the party is going to conduct a consultative policy conference this Wednesday.
Ndlovu said the decision to postpone the congress came after an emergency meeting by National Executive Council (Nec) last week which, called for an urgent National People’s Council (NPC) meeting held on Saturday.
“After receiving reports from all our provinces on the state of preparedness for our elective congress, Nec resolved that because of financial challenges facing the party and the country as a whole, the party would not be able to transport delegates from their respective provinces,” Ndlovu said.
Ndlovu added that the NPC resolved that instead of having a three-day congress, the party would hold a consultative policy conference on Wednesday, which means an extension of the current term of the national executive.
He said that the executive would work together to mobilise enough resources so that a legitimate congress can be held.
For the past two months, Zapu has been working tirelessly in a bid to raise funds for the congress. Unfortunately they failed to raise enough funds for the event.
Since Dabengwa walked out of Zanu PF in disgust in 2008, Zapu suffered a series of financial challenges which saw the party at one point being evicted from its regional offices after failing to pay rentals.
And for years the party operated without an office until June this year, when they finally managed to open one in the city.
Dabengwa, who is the former Home Affairs minister said in the past that his party survived on monthly subscriptions by party members including some in the Diaspora.
COMMENTS
This is a sad day.
I remember Chibwe Chitedza (aka!) J Nkomo coming to Machipisa in ’64 and what a thrill that was for the crowd.
The man had charisma.
ZAPU needs to shift its headquaters to Harare because basing itself in Byo makes it a regional organisation with no universal nor mass appeal.
The party I knew has not twisted peoples arms to get money .ZAPU is truly the peoples party and as such we have and always will support it.