ZANU PF's 23rd National People's Conference opens today, Monday 12 October, at Chinhoyi University of Technology. It runs until Saturday 17 October, and proposed amendments to the party constitution are expected to come up.

The conference follows an unusual few days for the ruling party. A Politburo meeting set for Friday 9 October at party headquarters in Harare was postponed. Several outlets reported that members were already seated when it was called off.

The official line

The party says the postponement was a scheduling matter. Spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa put it down to an "overflow of Presidential programmes". Information director Farai Marapira described it as a "clash of programmes, but nothing serious", Pindula News reported.

According to the party, a new date for the Politburo meeting will be announced.

What reports claim

Other outlets have reported a different explanation. Citing anonymous party sources, NewsHawks and News Hour reported that Vice President Constantino Chiwenga resisted proposed amendments to the party constitution, and that this lay behind the postponement.

The party has not confirmed these claims, and they have not been independently verified. Nehanda Radio, which reported on the claims, itself noted: "The conflicting versions leave the precise cause of the cancellation unresolved." National Interest News reported the postponement as taking place amid disagreement over constitutional changes.

What to watch in Chinhoyi

With the official explanation and the source-based reports pointing in different directions, attention now moves to Chinhoyi. Delegates are expected to discuss the proposed constitutional changes there this week. For readers at home and in the diaspora, the conference is the clearest chance yet to see where the party stands on the question.

Zimbo Grapevine will follow developments from the conference.

Sources: Pindula News, "ZANU PF blames 'clash of programmes' as politburo meeting abandoned", 9 Oct 2026: https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/10/09/zanu-pf-blames-clash-of-programmes-as-politburo-meeting-abandoned/ · Nehanda Radio, "Zanu PF meeting abandoned amid Mnangagwa-Chiwenga clash", 9 Oct 2026: https://nehandaradio.com/2026/10/09/zanu-pf-politburo-meeting-abandoned-amid-claims-chiwenga-blocked-mnangagwas-party-constitution-changes/ · National Interest News, "ZANU PF postpones Politburo meeting amid disagreement over constitutional changes", 10 Oct 2026: https://nationalinterest.news/2026/10/10/zanu-pf-postpones-politburo-meeting-amid-disagreement-over-constitutional-changes/ · News Hour (reports citing party sources), 9 Oct 2026: https://newshour.co.zw/chiwenga-blocks-zanu-pf-constitution-changes-as-mnangagwas-politburo-meeting-collapses/