Only a people-led transitional authority can rescue Zimbabwe from ZANU PF’s implosion- NTA

Press Statement by the National Transitional Authority (NTA): Zimbabwe is once again standing on the edge of political and economic collapse.

 

The National Transitional Authority (NTA) is gravely concerned by the deepening factional wars within Zanu PF that have paralysed government operations and placed the country on a dangerous trajectory.

 

What we are witnessing is not a battle for reform or accountability, but an elite power struggle between corrupt factions seeking to preserve personal privilege and immunity from justice.

 

The recent confrontation between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, following Chiwenga’s 25-page dossier accusing Mnangagwa’s allies of looting over US$3.2 billion in public funds, has exposed the full extent of state capture and institutional decay.

 

Instead of addressing the allegations with transparency, Mnangagwa responded with Politburo reshuffles on 23 September 2025, installing his favoured loyalists that shield his interest.

 

In the reshuffles, Ziyambi Ziyambi one of President Mnangagwa’s most loyal allies and a key architect of Zanu PF’s legal and constitutional strategy — was appointed secretary for legal affairs, effectively becoming the president’s chief political defender within the party hierarchy.

 

The changes also saw Obert Mpofu moved from the powerful position of secretary-general to secretary for information, communication and technology (ICT), with Jacob Mudenda taking over Mpofu’s former post.

 

Patrick Chinamasa, a staunch Mnangagwa loyalist, was appointed secretary for finance, a move that further consolidated the president’s grip over the party’s administrative and financial levers.

 

Ziyambi’s subsequent attack on Chiwenga, labelling him “treasonous,” has no doubt thrown the ruling party into open conflict and rekindled fears of another military confrontation reminiscent of the November 2017 coup.

 

This power struggle is not about the people—it is about control over stolen wealth and access to state resources.

 

The ongoing crisis mirrors events unfolding in other countries where failed governance has provoked national instability.

 

In Madagascar, a coup is currently underway after elite divisions spiralled out of control, while in Nepal, mass protests led by young people on 9 September 2025 toppled the government after it attempted to suppress dissent by banning social media.

 

Zimbabwe is now dangerously close to the same tipping point.

 

The NTA notes that Blessed Geza’s recent call for nationwide protests on 17 October 2025 has struck a chord with the suffering majority.

 

His demands—to end state capture, reject the unconstitutional “2030 Agenda,” and hold looters accountable—reflect the anger and despair of citizens who have endured poverty, corruption, and repression for far too long.

 

His message resonates across the country, yet while the frustration is justified, spontaneous mass protests without a structured framework risk plunging Zimbabwe into the same cycle of chaos that followed the 2017 coup.

 

Then, the people’s legitimate hopes were hijacked by power brokers who replaced one oppressive order with another.

 

Today, ordinary citizens are reluctant to take to the streets, fearing for their safety and livelihoods in an environment of rising state brutality and economic hardship.

 

The military, once a decisive actor, is itself fractured and unpredictable.

 

In this volatile context, uncoordinated action could trigger violence or a new form of authoritarian control.

 

The NTA firmly believes that Zimbabwe’s only viable path out of this crisis is through the establishment of a structured, inclusive, and time-bound National Transitional Authority.