Mutare – The Zanu PF annual conference is teetering on the brink of implosion as the long-simmering power struggle between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga threatens to boil over. At the heart of the conflict lies a proposal, championed by Mnangagwa’s loyalists, to postpone the 2028 elections until 2030 or beyond, a move widely interpreted as a blatant attempt to extend Mnangagwa’s grip on power beyond the constitutional two-term limit.
Mnangagwa, while publicly maintaining a stance of being a “constitutionalist,” is widely believed to be the driving force behind “ED2030,” a resolution aimed at ensuring he remains in office to complete his development agenda. However, this ambition has been met with fierce resistance from Chiwenga, who views it as a betrayal of the understanding that he would succeed Mnangagwa as Zanu PF’s presidential candidate in 2028.
Ziyambi revealed in a recent ZANU PF politburo meeting that, at the request of the then Commander of the Defence Forces, Constantino Chiwenga, Tagwirei provided US$1.6 million, supplied fuel and catered for the soldiers’ basic provisions.
“There is no denying that Operation Restore Legacy had significant backing. A considerable amount of resources was invested to guarantee its success. It is unlikely that an operation of this scale could have achieved its goals without substantial financial support,” Ziyambi stated.
“For the record Mr Kudakwashe Tagwirei put in a total of 5 million litres of fuel, food and other provisions for soldiers as requested by the then CDF, General Chiwenga. Furthermore, he put in one million litres of fuel and US$1.6 million to the Party,” he added.
“Therefore, the success of Operation Restore Legacy cannot be attributed to a few individuals. Any such assertions are aimed at distorting the historical narrative for personal and political gain,” said Ziyambi.
Tagwirei and Chivayo, especially, have become hugely and unashamedly rich by winning government contracts, many of which they have not completed. It is widely suspected that they cycle part of the proceeds from these contracts back to Zanu-PF, particularly to Mnangagwa.
Tagwirei, a well-known benefactor of ZANU PF, has long faced accusations of leveraging his close ties with President Mnangagwa to secure lucrative government tenders. He has also been a frequent target of attacks by former ZANU PF member and fugitive Blessed Geza, who accuses him of capturing the state and perpetuating corruption. Despite these allegations, Tagwirei has remained silent.
Ziyambi, in his defence of Mnangagwa, insisted that the removal of Mugabe was a collective effort, cautioning a faction backing Chiwenga against claiming sole credit for the operation.
“Let us acknowledge the collective effort that made Operation Restore Legacy possible and desist from claiming heroism for work done by many,” he added.
Chiwenga appears to have tried to mask his true target by accusing former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo of treason for writing a document titled Breaking Barriers Initiative: Putting Zimbabwe First, in which he supports ED2030 by proposing to postpone the 2028 elections to 2035, according to a NewsHawks report.
The report says Moyo proposed to “identify and break chronic toxic barriers to efficient and effective service delivery, infrastructural development and socioeconomic progress in Zimbabwe primarily caused by the scourge of perennially disputed elections and the resultant scourge of a toxic governance and policy environment in between the disputed elections”.
Moyo is considered to be a great opportunist. In 2018, he bitterly opposed Mnangagwa in his power struggle with Mugabe and had to flee for his life into exile when soldiers attacked his house in Harare during the coup. He is now reputed to be living in Nairobi and appears to be trying to ingratiate himself with Mnangagwa by publicly backing his bid to cling to power beyond 2028.
Chiwenga’s confidential party memo also took an indirect swipe at Mnangagwa by attacking corrupt business allies of his, like Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivayo, Scott Sakupwanya and Delish Nguwaya.
Mnangagwa, in turn, uses some of this money to buy support from Zanu-PF officials and senior military officers for his bid to extend his tenure.
According to the journal Africa Confidential, on 15 September this year, at a party celebrating Mnangagwa’s birthday, Chivayo gave each of Zanu-PF’s provincial chairs a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser and $100,000 in cash. On 19 September, Mnangagwa distributed vehicles to three Central Committee members per province.
And on 29 September, Mnangagwa gave 102 vehicles to senior military commanders, announcing that it was just the first tranche of 700 vehicles that would be given to army officers in the coming months, the journal said.
The gifts to the military officers were clearly intended as an insurance policy to prevent them from ousting Mnangagwa, as they had ousted Mugabe. This was particularly important as Chiwenga is believed to have retained significant support in the military, though Mnangagwa has replaced several of his supporters in the high command.
Chiwenga has struck back by denouncing the ED2030 plan in a leaked confidential document which was presented to Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF praesidium – the top five – and the party’s decision-making politburo on 17 September, according to NewsHawks and other media.
As head of the Zimbabwe Defence Force, Chiwenga helped Mnangagwa oust Zimbabwe’s founding President Robert Mugabe in a military coup (though never of course officially acknowledged as such) in November 2017.
Mnangagwa rewarded Chiwenga by appointing him vice-president with the expectation, it is widely believed, that he would succeed Mnangagwa as Zanu-PF’s presidential candidate – and therefore almost automatically the next national president – in 2028.
But then ED2030 intervened at last year’s Zanu-PF conference in Bulawayo. Mnangagwa’s faction is lobbying hard to have it confirmed at this year’s conference in the eastern town of Mutare.
This week, Daily Maverick asked President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya to comment on the reports of deep divisions within Zanu-PF.
Magwenya declined to comment, saying that it was an internal matter for Zimbabweans to resolve.
In fact, if the power struggle between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga does erupt, it could aggravate political and economic instability and propel even more Zimbabweans across the border into South Africa to join the millions of their compatriots already here.
The Zanu PF conference in Mutare is now poised to be a battleground, with the future of Zimbabwe hanging in the balance. The outcome of this power struggle will not only determine the country’s leadership but also its trajectory towards either stability or further turmoil.
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