[00:00] Director of Ceremonies, our National Political Commissar, Comrade Munyaradzi Machacha; First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe,
[00:16] Your Excellency, Amai Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa;
[00:25] Vice President and Second Secretary of the ruling party ZANU-PF, Honorable Kembo Mohadi; Retired Comrade Dr. Campbell Campbell Mohadi; ZANU-PF
[00:42] National Chairman, Honorable Comrade Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri; ZANU-PF Secretary-General, Comrade Advocate Jacob Francis Mudenda; members of the Politburo; members of
[01:02] the Central Committee; members of the National Consultative Assembly; members of the Women, Youth, and Veterans of the Liberation Struggle
[01:14] Leagues; all protocols observed.
[01:20] It is my profound honor and privilege to deliver a few remarks and introduce our guest of honor, His Excellency,
[01:31] the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and First Secretary of ZANU-PF, Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
[01:43] At this 23rd National People’s Conference, we gather here in Chinhoyi, a landscape deeply connected to our liberation struggle. The
[01:57] Chinhoyi Battle of 28th April 1966 marked the turning point in igniting the armed struggle against colonial rule. With boundless
[02:12] pride and solemn reverence, we remember the seven ZANLA heroes who fought with fearless distinction and paid the ultimate price
[02:25] just a few kilometers from this venue. Their sacrifice was and is an indispensable bedrock of Zimbabwe’s independence, freedom, and
[02:42] sovereignty.
[02:42] Comrades and friends, last year when we convened in Mutare, we reflected on the values that sustained our liberation
[02:54] struggle: unity, discipline, patriotism, integrity, commitment, and service. The theme this year is “From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Economic Empowerment Towards Vision 2030.”
[03:16] This theme calls upon us to move beyond deliberations and declarations to tangible, measurable, and transformative outcomes that improve the lives of our people.
[03:32] Let us not forget that the Second Republic was founded on the pursuit of renewal, reform, and results-based governance and national development. That promise imposes
[04:05] on us an enduring obligation to deliver results that exceed all past achievements.
[04:41] This beckons us to a brutal and honest self-appraisal.
[04:49] We must ask ourselves the difficult questions and confront uncomfortable realities:
[05:00] Are our resolutions truly coming from the people? Do our conferences authentically capture the voices of the grassroots? Do we
[05:15] truly understand the aspirations of our people? More importantly, how should we walk our talk this time around to serve
[05:28] our people better?
[05:28] The strength of ZANU-PF has always emanated from the people. Our party is the people’s party, forged
[05:44] through the sweat, toil, and blood of the masses.
[05:52] Our party belongs to the people, never to individuals. We must listen to them attentively,
[06:05] for they are the ones who entrusted us with this mandate. We must be willing to introspect and engage in
[06:15] self-criticism
[06:18] when confronted with divergent viewpoints. In the same vein, we must also handle contradictions constructively.
[06:36] The guiding principle of “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” must remain central to our collective comprehension of development and empowerment. We must continually measure whether our programs,
[06:51] born from our resolutions, are genuinely lifting livelihoods, addressing community needs, and generating sustainable value across the nation. The true
[07:07] value of a resolution lies entirely in its substance, implementation, and its tangible impact on the lives of the people
[07:20] we represent and serve. This is the essence of Vision 2030.
[07:20] Distinguished guests and delegates, world change is inevitable. It must be orderly, anchored in our party structures, and guided by our constitution. Change must
[07:51] be driven by the people, not imposed from above. You may recall, Your Excellency, that the voice of the people
[08:04] is the voice of God. As such, we must remain true to that promise and carry with us the voice
[08:16] of the people.
[08:16] Discipline, accountability, and selfless service must define our trajectory,
[08:29] superseding disjointed or individualistic approaches. Chairman Mao said, and I quote: “Individual desires or private virtues are meaningless outside their relationship to the collective.”
[08:56] They undermine our collective purpose and cannot deliver the unity required for sustainable progress.
[09:12] As we deliberate at this momentous conference, we must remember that we are mere temporary custodians of this vanguard party, for our time on earth is
[09:24] finite.
[09:37] So we must ask ourselves: What legacy are we leaving?
[09:49] We are here to serve the people, never to be served by them. The young generation is watching our conduct
[10:00] with sharp attention. Our words must find full expression in our actions, placing service above personal ambition and striving to
[10:16] leave ZANU-PF stronger than we found it.
[10:16] Our collective resolve to attain Vision 2030 must be to consolidate economic development,
[10:30] uplift the living standards of the people, and make them proud citizens of this country—not hewers of
[10:44] wood and drawers of water surviving from the benevolence of a privileged few.
[10:44] In the same spirit of the Chinhoyi Seven battle, the fourth Chimurenga in which we are industrializing and in the quest for an economically empowered nation:
[11:13] It is now my singular honor and privilege to invite our guest of honor, His Excellency, the President of the
[11:23] Republic of Zimbabwe and First Secretary of ZANU-PF.
