As the ruling party since independence in 1980, ZANU PF’s internal dynamics are never just party matters; they have a direct, heavy bearing on the daily lives of ordinary communities.

When the party sneezes, the whole nation catches a cold.

Therefore, the outcomes of the party’s 2026 Chinhoyi conference warrant close, community-centred analysis.

On April 28, 1966, seven ZANLA fighters held off a Rhodesian force at Hunyani River.

ZANU PF marks it as the first shot of the Second Chimurenga.

Sixty years later, the party returned to Chinhoyi University of Technology for its 23rd National People’s Conference with a theme that is now more than a slogan: “From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Economic Empowerment Towards Vision 2030.”

In his keynote address, President Mnangagwa took the opportunity to reflect on the significant milestones achieved by the Second Republic since he assumed office.

He aggressively defended his administration’s track record, pointing to major domestic breakthroughs in food security through revitalised climate-proofed agriculture, massive infrastructure rehabilitation projects like the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, and an unprecedented expansion in mining output.

Crucially, the President anchored his address on the visible gains of his foreign policy doctrine: “Friend to all and enemy to none.”

He highlighted how this diplomatic re-engagement strategy has successfully unlocked critical economic partnerships have broken years of diplomatic isolation.

For ordinary communities, these are not just abstract international trips.

The President emphasised that this shift has directly driven foreign direct investment into local lithium mining, consolidated heavy industrial manufacturing, and opened fresh export markets for Zimbabwean agricultural produce.

By positioning Zimbabwe as an active, pragmatic global partner, the administration argued that it is actively building the macroeconomic foundation necessary to sustain local livelihoods.

Yet, inside the conference halls, the political trajectory required equal focus.

In one morning, the party leadership gave the nation two speeches that, if read together with maturity, give ZANU PF a cohesive way forward.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as President and First Secretary, gave direction and discipline:

“MuZANU PF hamudi zvemazvake mazvake. Tinofanira kufamba tose, takabatana uye tiine gwara rimwe. There is no room for solo efforts or dividing our focus – neither lagging behind nor running ahead out of step.”

Vice President Rtd General Dr Constantino Chiwenga, gave reflection and conscience:

“Chii chakaita kuti Second Republic ivepo? Kwaive kugadzirisa zvakaipa zvanga zvichiitika kumashare. Hatisi kudzokorora here kuita zvatakambotadza? Change is inevitable. It must be orderly, entrenched in our party structures and guided by our Constitution. Change must be driven by the people, not imposed from above. You may recall, Your Excellency, that the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Together, they answer four questions Zimbabweans are asking: the history of how we got here, the whispered 2017 promises of structural corrections, and the constitutional path forward regarding succession.

The final political outcomes of the conference effectively answered Vice President Chiwenga’s insistence on an orderly, legalistic approach before the resolutions were even set in stone.

By passing a consensus resolution to defer the elective congress from 2027 to 2029, the party avoided the chaos of abrupt factional re-alignments.

Instead, delegates chose to align internal party structures directly with the Constitutional Amendment Act Number 3 (CAA3), extending President Mnangagwa’s leadership tenure to 2030 through legal mechanisms rather than ad-hoc decree.

In addition, the official decision to extend the internal electoral cycle from a five-year to a seven-year term provides a predictable framework from the cell level up to the Central Committee.

This structural change satisfies the demand for order and constitutional discipline, ensuring that change is not a disruptive shockwave but an institutionalised evolution.

Crucially, the way these outcomes came about directly addressed Chiwenga’s warning that change must be driven from below rather than imposed from above.

President Mnangagwa took the stage to defend the intense internal friction and divergent views that characterised the lead-up to Chinhoyi.

Rather than dismissing these competing provincial interests, the President described open internal debate as healthy for party unity and progress.

By allowing these passionate debates to play out transparently across the party structures before adopting a common consensus, the leadership demonstrated a commitment to letting the grassroots voice speak.

This acknowledgment of divergent views signals that the party recognises the risk of top-down imposition, choosing instead to anchor its decisions in the collective will of the structures.

For our local communities, the true test of Chinhoyi 2026 lies in whether this orderly political roadmap can translate into tangible performance, mirroring the conference theme.

While the conference generated short-term economic booms for Chinhoyi’s local hospitality, transport, and informal trading sectors, the lasting impact must be measured by enduring grassroots development.

The concurrent commissioning of a new oxygen plant and a solar power system at Chinhoyi General Hospital, alongside upgraded student accommodation at the university, serves as a template for what community impact should look like.

Beyond politics, the economic resolutions passed at Chinhoyi hold massive implications for ordinary citizens.

The party issued strict directives to expedite the issuance of offer letters and title deeds to resettled farmers, a move that could unlock crucial agricultural credit lines and boost local food security.

Simultaneously, directives to enforce the “use it or lose it” policy on mining claims and to accelerate localised mineral beneficiation mean that communities surrounding resource-rich areas could finally see corporate social responsibility turn into real local employment and infrastructure development.

However, the local community remains wary of the implementation gap.

If ZANU PF translates its consolidated political roadmap into localised, measurable socio-economic results—ensuring accountability, infrastructure durability, and economic empowerment—the resolutions passed at Chinhoyi University of Technology will mean genuine progress for the Zimbabwean public.

If not, the community risks being left behind by an establishment more focused on positions than actual production.

The mandate is clear: the speeches have been synthesised, the constitutional timeline is set, and the community now awaits the delivery.

GLOBALLY, there is now an increased demand for transparency and accountability in the use of public resources allocated and disbursed to lower tiers of government.

Inevitably, the easy accessibility and user friendliness of such information from local authorities determines the quality and depth of their stakeholder engagements.

In addition, timeous sharing of relevant information facilitates informed decision making and oversight by stakeholders.

Guided by the above, we recently sought information from Chitungwiza Municipality on the current costs of the master plan implementation process and the valuation roll exercise.

We also wanted to know how far they had gone in the implementation of both exercises.

The answer from the responsible council official is the subject of this editorial.

Our editorial is anchored on the premise that our government and local authorities, are the principal custodians of the well-being of the residents through their provision of public and infrastructural services.

The Chitungwiza official told us without mincing his words that our enquiry on Chitungwiza was misplaced because no one knows what other local authorities are paying for the valuation roll.

Just like that, plain and simple.

Talking about precedence, was this not the same council that publicly stated that Chitungwiza needed around US$600 000 for its master plan.

Was it not their official who told residents during the recent master plan stakeholder engagement exercise that the figure could rise above the $600 000?

Is it not the same council that declared itself broke and sought a partner to fund the master plan to the tune of the above figure?

Curiously, that same council had dumped a consultant who was the sole bidder for the master plan.

In an about turn, the same council reverted to the sole bidder following disagreements with the proposed funder.

All of a sudden the figure for the master plan costs nosedived to $180 000 only to rise to the $190 000 that was settled with the new lead planner.

In such a situation residents and the media can’t be said to be crazy in seeking answers from Chitungwiza.

Community based organisations can also demand the local authorities to account for the financial resources used.

These CBOs have responsibilities of setting Chitungwiza’s  development  agenda and can also demand to be given feedback about the progress of projects being undertaken by the local authority in question.

In simple terms the successes, failure and or delays in taking off of various projects should be reported to stakeholders.

In that light, the stakeholders  have a right to know who is funding the master plan for the broke municipality and why all of a sudden the figures have changed or continued to change.

As the media,we need to question the extent to which fiscal transparency and accountability principles are being adopted by Chitungwiza council.

We will trigger conversations on the role of fiscal transparency and accountability in achieving the national objectives.

In that respect, to what extent, if any is Chitungwiza conforming to the existing legal and institutional frameworks that are expected to foster transparency and accountability, we rightfully ask

This assists all stakeholders to draw lessons from each other’s experiences on how to improve fiscal transparency and accountability.

We are reliably informed that the government has intervened to resolve the crisis at Chitungwiza by funding the master plan.

We welcome such a development and with it comes increased demand for transparency and accountability in the use of public resources allocated and disbursed to lower tiers of government.

In order to facilitate deeper citizen engagements Chitungwiza needs to make a distinct break with the past where other stakeholders had little or no access to information on public financial management.

Research has shown that transparency and accountability are interrelated and mutually reinforcing concepts without which it would be difficult to call public sector entities to account.

It has been noted that Zimbabwe has the necessary policy framework including our Constitution, the Zimbabwe Finance Management Act and Urban and Rural Councils Acts which are expected to foster transparency and accountability.

However, the main challenges are on the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of these legislative frameworks.

This has been the reason why adverse issues and irregularities noted by the Auditor General’s reports including recommendations to address these anomalies have not been addressed by the respective public entities.

There is need to accelerate the roll-out of the financial management information system to local authorities to enhance transparency and accountability.

Dogged enforcement of the constitutional and legal provisions in respect of financial reports, internal controls and audits is therefore critical.

Best practices on transparency and accountability policies and practices should also dovetail with the national context, policy priorities and strategic actions to be taken.

In this regard, we call upon Chitungwiza municipality officials to increase the levels of transparency and accountability in order to enhance the successful implementation of both the master plan and valuation roll.