THE Zanu PF Midlands province on Tuesday called a meeting with officials from government departments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations, in a move seen as compromising the independence of the institutions. OWN CORRESPONDENT
The meeting dubbed “Stakeholders, political leadership developmental engagement” and held at the party’s war veterans’ office in Gweru had journalists being barred, as party officials said they wanted “their guests to feel comfortable” during deliberations.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, a Zanu PF official in the Gweru Development Committee and losing candidate for Gweru Urban constituency, Christopher Gwatidzo, said the party’s leadership in the district was meeting with civil servants to make sure programmes championed by the party were achieved.
“First and foremost we believe in the supremacy of the party (Zanu PF), which won the 2013 elections resoundingly,” he said.
“In that regard government programmes, which are Zanu PF programmes, can only be achieved with close co-operation of civil servants to make sure they can be achieved.”
Gwatidzo, also Zanu PF provincial deputy secretary for administration, said the party leadership had set the ball rolling through the meeting to share on projects being run by government departments to make sure they were in line with the Zanu PF’s ZimAsset economic blueprint.
Zanu PF provincial interim chairman and Chiwundura MP Kizito Chivamba said journalists were barred from the meeting because they wanted their invited guests not to be intimidated by the presence of the media on the first meeting.
“We wanted to give them confidence as we discussed issues without fear, but rest assured in future we will invite you,” he said.
