Tinotenda Hove- Preparations for ZANU PF’s 23rd National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi are being presented as a sign of progress, yet they underline how the ruling party prioritizes its own gatherings over service delivery.

The conference will run from October 12 to 17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, with government officials insisting that everything is in order for the political showcase.

Mashonaland West Minister Marian Chombo, who toured the venue on Thursday, claimed the province was ready to host the event.

She said: “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.”

For a ruling party that has been in power for 45 years, the annual conference has become a familiar ritual of self-praise rather than genuine accountability, where leaders gather to pat themselves on the back while communities continue to struggle with basic services.

In a desperate attempt to justify the conference, authorities have now launched hurried road patching across Mashonaland West.

Provincial Roads Engineer Simbarashe Gomo admitted that key highways are only now receiving attention because of the political event.

He said: “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.”

The admission exposes the government’s approach to development, roads are only fixed when ZANU PF needs to drive on them.

Chombo attempted to link the conference to broader development, claiming it was part of a deliberate strategy.

She said: “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.”

Yet the so-called legacy projects have become a convenient excuse to mask extravagant spending on party events, while hospitals lack drugs and schools lack infrastructure.

Ahead of the conference, the Mashonaland West provincial leadership has already prepared 26 resolutions, including the predictable endorsement of President Mnangagwa and a proposal to align the party constitution with the national constitution.

The resolutions make it clear that the gathering is less about national development priorities and more about entrenching power and manufacturing consent for the controversial 2030 agenda.