The Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP), which held its maiden congress in Bulawayo this month, has said its focus for the coming years would be building party structures.
Formed over two years ago and yet to contest in the country’s polls, ZCP is led by general secretary, Ngqabutho Mabhena.
“From the time of the end of this congress, we need to build the structures of our party and a core of disciplined trained cadres who will work both within the party and in the mass organisations to which they are deployed,” said Mabhena, while addressing congress.
“Growth of the party must run together with growth of mass organisations. In the coming year, we must work towards the building of a Young Communist League. We have young cadres here like comrades Ruth and Bongani, who we believe will play a major role in doing that. We need also to assess the best way in which to approach the women’s question in Zimbabwe.”
ZCP general secretary challenged party cadres to critique a congress document on the theme: “Completing the liberation of Zimbabwe.”
“We suggest to congress that between now and the next congress, conferences and commissions on specific questions, some including non-party members, will make recommendations which will go before the central committee which will decide on their adoption as policy,” said Mabhena.
“Thus our expectation is that by the next congress our programme though remaining the same in essence, will be enlarged and amended. Between then and now, we must organise conferences and commissions to deliberate in more detail on a number of policy issues. Sometimes these will include non-party members. But the recommendations of these conferences and commissions should then go to the central committee for consideration as policy.”
Mabhena added: “Most urgently we must hold a labour summit. We wanted to do this earlier but were unable to raise the funding. We must move towards a single, militant, class-oriented trade union centre with no affiliation to either of the current bourgeois party.”
