As the ruling Zanu PF annual conference opens in the eastern highlands city of Mutare today under a heavy dark cloud of an intensifying battle over succession and corruption issues, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s bid to seize control of the levers of state power from President Emmerson Mnangagwa looms large.
The power struggle between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga over the party’s unresolved leadership question and succession cast a shadow over the conference set to pass a consequential resolution to amend the constitution to extend the incumbent’s rule beyond his 2028 second term constitutional limit to 2030, or further.
Zanu PF passed a resolution at its Bulawayo conference last year to extend Mnangagwa’s stay in power, providing a springboard to Mnangagwa’s rule extension or third term.
The party’s politburo has since tasked its legal department to work with the Ministry of Justice to explore ways to amend the constitution to implement its resolutions on Mnangagwa’s rule.
While Mnangagwa says he will not extend his controversial rule beyond 2028 because he is a “constutionalist”, which is irony writ large for someone who first came to power through a coup in November 2017, his allies are forging ahead with the 2030 agenda at his behest.
This has fuelled the party’s escalating succession infighting now affecting the whole country.
Chiwenga is positioning himself as Mnangagwa’s successor, but the incumbent is struggling to keep him at bay.
Mnangagwa reportedly wants Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, business mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei or Chris Mutsvangwa to succeed him.
Under a cloud of uncertainty, three major political issues will play out at the conference: Mnangagwa’s manoeuvres to extend his rule to 2030 or beyond – third term; Chiwenga’s fierce opposition to that and his allies’ one man million match protest on 17 October and the recent confidential document that he presented to Zanu PF’s top leadership and politburo.
In his document – seen by The NewsHawks – Chiwenga raises a series of issues, including corruption allegations against local multi-millionaire tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivayo and Pedzisayi “Scott” Sakupwanya, among others.
Chiwenga says US$3.2 billion was looted from state coffers by Tagwirei and others.
In addition, Chiwenga also says former Zanu PF MP and minister Jonathan Moyo was pushing a “treasonous project” to change the country’s political system and postpone the scheduled 2028 elections to 2035.
The accusation centres on a document Moyo wrote called “Breaking Barriers Initiative: Putting Zimbabwe First,” which he opines seeks to change Zimbabwe’s political system and delay the 2028 elections by seven years.
This accusation intensifies the public power struggle between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga which threatens to engulf the nation like the late former president Robert Mugabe’s succession conundrum in 2017.
The contentious issue of extending Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028 is a central point of the heightening succession conflict.
The damning allegations of corruption and treason against Moyo were presented in the leaked confidential document at a Zanu PF Politburo meeting on September 17 where the battle line was openly drawn.
Chiwenga’s document goes to great length accusing several businessmen, whom he calls Zvigananda, and their cronies of looting public funds, including stealing party investment funds, and financing political ambitions, demanding their immediate arrest.
Meanwhile, the treason charge highlights the long-standing rivalry between Chiwenga and Moyo, dating back to the 2017 coup that ousted Mugabe.
Chiwenga, who led that military takeover under Mnangagwa’s tutelage, was himself accused of “treasonable conduct” at the time by Mugabe’s Zanu PF.
The conflict threatens to cause further political and economic instability in Zimbabwe, something that can deteriorate into Madagascan-style protests or a stratocracy, government based on the army.
Exiled war veteran Blessed “Bombshell” Geza has publicly called for a “one million man march” on October 17, urging citizens to protest against Mnangagwa and his allies over state capture and corruption.
Newshawks
