Roads suddenly fixed as Zanu PF prepares for Chinhoyi Conference
Preparations for Zanu PF’s 23rd National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi have brought a fresh wave of road rehabilitation in Mashonaland West, raising questions over whether infrastructure is being prioritised because of the needs of communities or the demands of the ruling party’s major gathering.
The conference is scheduled for October 12 to 17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, with provincial authorities insisting that preparations are on course.
Mashonaland West Minister Marian Chombo, who toured the venue on Thursday, said the province was ready to host the event.
“We are fully prepared to host the conference next month. I have inspected the site and most of the work has already been completed, except for minor outstanding issues,” Chombo said.
The timing of the roadworks has, however, drawn attention, particularly as key highways in the province are now receiving rehabilitation ahead of the conference.
Provincial Roads Engineer Simbarashe Gomo confirmed that work was underway on several major routes.
“We are working on the Harare-Chirundu highway, focusing on the shoulders. We are also rehabilitating the Golden Valley-Sanyati road and the Karoi-Binga highway. Our ultimate goal is to fully rehabilitate the Harare-Chirundu road and these two major events will leave lasting infrastructure in the province,” Gomo said.
The developments have fuelled criticism that infrastructure improvements are being accelerated when politically significant events require them, despite communities having long depended on the same roads for transport, business and access to essential services.
Chombo sought to present the conference as part of a broader government development programme, saying national events were being moved around the country.
“The Second Republic is taking national events to all provinces. The President, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, has directed that we must focus on remote communities so that they benefit from legacy projects,” she said.
However, the preparations have also highlighted the political character of the gathering, with Mashonaland West provincial leadership having already prepared 26 resolutions ahead of the conference.
Among the resolutions are an endorsement of President Mnangagwa and a proposal to align the ZANU PF constitution with the national Constitution.
The conference is therefore expected to combine party business, political resolutions and preparations around the ruling party’s 2030 agenda, while the road rehabilitation has added another layer to the debate over the priorities attached to major Zanu PF events.
For critics, the developments raise a broader question: why must major infrastructure improvements receive such urgency when the ruling party needs to host a high-profile gathering? *_-ZimEye_*
