President Mnangagwa is expected to deliver a keynote address and officially open the conference on June 25.

Zimbabwe took advantage of last night’s meeting held in Harare to drum up support for the country’s candidate for the position of PAPU general secretary, Mr Sifundo Chief Moyo, who has already been unanimously endorsed by SADC.

Presently, Mr Moyo is the Postmaster-General of the Zimbabwe Posts Private Limited (Zimpost).

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Ambassador Frederick Shava, last night said the conference will, among other agenda items, renew the leadership of PAPU by electing the secretary-general and the assistant secretary-general.

“To that end, the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe is requesting for your esteemed Governments support for the Zimbabwe candidate,” said Ambassador Shava.

“The presentation of Zimbabwe’s candidature is guided by the principles and shared values of the African Union. The Southern region has never led PAPU since its inception, that is, 41 years ago.

“To that end, the election of Mr Moyo will be in line with and respect for cardinal principles of the African Union namely, rotation as provided for in the relevant decisions of the African Union Assembly and the Executive Council.”

Information Communication Technology, Courier and Postal Services Minister Dr Jenfam Muswere told the same gathering that Mr Moyo was a “qualified and extensively experienced” postal expert whose proficiency and leadership are complimented by his strong academic background. 

Mr Moyo has received extensive postal technical training and international industry experience, and has participated in various engagements on the postal sector growth and development for over 25 years. 

Over the years, Mr Moyo has participated in international postal events, forums, meetings and conferences under the auspices of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), PAPU, and the Southern African Postal Operators Association (SAPOA) and other international postal bodies. 

He holds a Masters’ degree in Business Administration (NUST), a BSc Economics Degree (UZ) and an Advanced Diploma in Transport and Logistics (UK) amongst the local and international postal training sessions he has been exposed to.

“Your Excellencies, on behalf of the Zimbabwean government, we humbly appeal to you and your respective countries to support our candidate for the PAPU secretary-general post as this will benefit the Union, and solidify the continent’s postal vision in the global geo-postal space.” 

The PAPU meeting will be attended by various member states physically and virtually in line with the new Covid-19 restrictions announced by Government recently. Zimbabwe has been a member of PAPU since 1980, and has actively participated in the Union’s activities, meetings and activities led by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz).