Mutare – The Zanu PF annual conference, meant to showcase unity and progress, has instead become a stage for explosive allegations and escalating power struggles. In a stunning development, Zanu PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa has publicly accused individuals linked to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga of orchestrating the 2018 White City Stadium grenade attack, an incident that nearly claimed the life of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mutsvangwa made these explosive remarks during a press briefing in Harare on 16 October 2025, just a day before President Mnangagwa was scheduled to open the Zanu PF annual conference in Mutare. The timing of these accusations has ignited speculation about a deliberate attempt to undermine Chiwenga’s position and consolidate Mnangagwa’s control over the party.
Initial investigations into the bombing produced conflicting accounts. Suspects were arrested and subsequently released, while internal security agencies appeared to be divided on the matter. In 2024, detectives revisited the scene with Chinese investigators, but no conclusive findings were ever made public.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Mnangagwa suggested that the bombing may have been linked to Grace Mugabe’s G40 faction, which had been sidelined following the November 2017 coup that brought him to power. He told international media that the attack could have been staged by those “still bitter” about Mugabe’s ouster.
However, years later, Mutsvangwa presented a drastically different version of events. According to TheNewsHawks, he claimed, “That was an inside job. They wanted to assassinate President Mnangagwa on 23 June 2018 at White City Stadium.” He did not provide any evidence to support this claim, and the allegation remains unverified.
The shift in blame, from the G40 faction in 2018 to Chiwenga’s allies in 2025, underscores how the bombing has been repeatedly weaponised in Zanu PF’s ongoing succession battles. The accusation serves to further deepen the rift between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, two men who were once allies in the removal of Robert Mugabe but are now locked in a bitter power struggle.
In addition to the explosive allegations regarding the bombing, Mutsvangwa also launched personal attacks on Chiwenga during the press conference, branding him a “mucheka dzafa” (an opportunist). He questioned Chiwenga’s credentials as a war veteran, stating, “Chiwenga behaves as if he is the only one who went to war. Yet he only joined the Zanla front deep and late in 1978 in Mozambique.”
Mutsvangwa further alleged that Chiwenga was plotting to topple Mnangagwa using proxies such as war veterans’ leader Blessed Geza, and accused him of mobilising for a “one million man march” set for 17 October 2025 in Mutare.
Mutsvangwa also condemned a document written by Chiwenga, which criticised corruption and succession issues within the party. He dismissed Chiwenga’s concerns, stating, “Chiwenga wanted to turn the presidium into a Kangaroo Court. His plan boomeranged. He is now isolated in a sideshow.”
At the same briefing, Mutsvangwa praised Mnangagwa for his steady leadership and hailed the late Zanu chairman Herbert Chitepo, assassinated in Lusaka in 1975, for building early ties with China. His words came just before Mnangagwa’s keynote speech at the party conference, where factional battles and the President’s push to extend his rule beyond a second term are set to dominate proceedings.
The Zanu PF conference has been marred by escalating internal power struggles, with Mutsvangwa publicly rebuking Chiwenga and accusing him of “turning the presidium into a kangaroo court.” This confrontation reportedly followed Chiwenga’s demand for President Mnangagwa to take action against individuals named in a corruption dossier he presented to the Politburo.
Sources told New Zimbabwe that tensions were high during the Politburo meeting. Chiwenga’s allies initially rallied behind him before retreating when questions were raised about the motives behind his dossier. The document reportedly implicates several prominent businessmen closely associated with Mnangagwa, including Wicknell Chivayo, Delish Nguwaya, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Pedzai Sakupwanya, and Paul Tungwarara.
These individuals are accused of siphoning millions from state coffers, and Chiwenga has called for their immediate arrest, a move that has deepened divisions within the ruling party. Mutsvangwa expressed his disapproval of Chiwenga’s actions, telling journalists at a press briefing in Harare, “Our Vice President decides to turn the Presidium into a kangaroo court. An inquisitive court. Kutonga President citing that document which was authored by Kasukuwere and his colleagues.”
Chiwenga has consistently slammed corruption, describing it as a national security threat. He has also repeatedly warned those who amass wealth through unscrupulous means to watch their backs, suggesting that their day of reckoning is coming.
The individuals named in the dossier are alleged to be securing government tenders through corrupt practices. These allegations are not new, but their formal presentation within the Politburo has brought the issue to a head. For instance, Chivayo previously defrauded ZESA of US$5 million in the Gwanda Solar Power project through his Intratek Company and failed to deliver on the project.
Tagwirei has been linked to the over US$3 billion Command Agriculture scandal and is also implicated in the recent dossier alleging that approximately US$3.2 billion has been stolen from state coffers. Meanwhile, Paul Tungwarara secured a tender to drill 10,000 boreholes under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme but was recently criticised by Parliament for failing to deliver.
The government has acknowledged that it is losing US$2 billion annually due to corruption and illicit financial dealings, making the current accusations all the more damaging and increasing the pressure on Mnangagwa to take action.
In a related development, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has publicly put his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, on notice, accusing him of being “treasonous” with “naked ambition” during a Politburo meeting that marked the beginning of Zanu PF’s conference. Mnangagwa’s response, presented by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, issued a stern warning that any plans for a putsch were a hopeless case.
“Any attempt to stage a coup, whether through treacherous acts, misrepresentation of facts, incitement of violence, or wilful blindness to positive development, is a grave offence that undermines the stability and unity of our nation and should be liable to immediate censure,” the presentation stated.
Mnangagwa’s allies have felt increasingly insecure, fearing that if Chiwenga ascended to power, they would face jail time. As such, they began discussing the possibility of extending Mnangagwa’s term, thereby delaying Chiwenga’s ambitions while they also sought their preferred successor, who has turned out to be the wealthy Tagwirei.
The rise of Tagwirei has been meteoric. He was finally co-opted into Zanu PF’s Central Committee on Tuesday, a committee that has the authority to make decisions outside Congress. In the run-up to the conference, Chiwenga had personally blocked Tagwirei’s ascendancy. It now becomes easy for Mnangagwa to appoint Tagwirei to the Politburo if he so wishes.
To show his faith in Tagwirei, Mnangagwa’s response shot down Chiwenga’s claim that selected people sacrificed their lives in the removal of Mugabe. Tagwirei’s role was made public: he funded the coup at the request of Chiwenga.
“For the record, Mr Kudakwashe Tagwirei put in a total of five 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,” read the response.
As he was ushered to his new position in the Central Committee, Tagwirei stayed true to his earlier promise of gifting off-road cars to his new colleagues.
The response to Chiwenga’s concerns also labelled him as bitter and lacking leadership qualities. “The author [Chiwenga] has clearly demonstrated his bitterness. To question what happens to the president in his private space is immature and intrusive. A good leader is a good follower. The author has shown he is not a good follower and therefore cannot be a leader,” the response stated.
Political analyst Precious Shumba said that taking Chiwenga head-on after he accused Mnangagwa’s allies of corruption might lead to chaos. “They are trying as much as possible to intimidate him [Chiwenga] through loud noises directed at him and trying to drown his substantive issues that he raised about corruption and capture of Zanu-PF,” Shumba added.
“Chiwenga has done it very well in terms of standing in the gap to expose corruption and giving specific action to arrest the situation.” Shumba added, “From this annual Zanu-PF conference, Emmerson Mnangagwa might emerge weaker in a very fragile situation.”
Zanu-PF’s director for information, Farai Marapira, added that what was happening in the ruling party was expected whenever it held its annual conference, adding that Mnangagwa was fully in charge of the situation.
The Zanu PF conference in Mutare has become a focal point for the escalating power struggle between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, with the future of Zimbabwe hanging in the balance. The allegations of corruption, the accusations of plotting, and the public rebukes all point to a deeply fractured ruling party, one that is struggling to maintain unity in the face of mounting challenges.
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