HARARE — Information Communication Technology Minister Tatenda Mavetera is facing pressure from within Zanu PF after missing a crucial parliamentary vote on Constitutional Amendment No. 3, with party figures in Mashonaland East said to be seeking a vote of no confidence against her.
The dispute has opened a new front in the ruling party’s internal tensions. Mavetera, who represents Chikomba West, is among a group of Zanu PF legislators whose absence from the vote has drawn calls for disciplinary action. At the same time, reports of a possible Cabinet reshuffle have placed her ministerial post in the spotlight, although no official list of ministers to be removed or reassigned has been announced.
Party members aligned with Mavetera say provincial chairperson Daniel Garwe is using his influence in Mashonaland East to mobilise support against her. They allege that the push to remove her is not driven only by her failure to attend the vote, but also by longstanding grievances over her conduct towards senior party figures.
The claims have sharpened attention on a political dispute that had been building since Mavetera came under fire over her remarks and conduct around Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga. The most recent controversy followed claims about an exchange at a Zanu PF gathering in Chinhoyi, while a separate public rebuke from apostolic preacher Madzibaba Kobo urged her to show respect to the Vice-President and veteran liberation figures.
Missed vote becomes a party test
The constitutional amendment became a test of loyalty inside Zanu PF after the party directed its legislators to support the changes. Parliamentary records listed Mavetera among lawmakers absent without leave when the Bill came before the National Assembly. The Bill passed despite the absence of several ruling-party MPs, with support from legislators aligned with self-proclaimed Citizens Coalition for Change leader Sengezo Tshabangu.
The National Assembly approved the measure by 216 votes to 42 on June 18. The Senate passed it later that month, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed it into law on July 7. The amendment extends presidential and parliamentary terms from 5 years to 7 and changes the way the President is chosen, replacing a direct popular vote with selection by a joint sitting of Parliament. The next presidential election is consequently due in 2030 rather than 2028.
Zanu PF adopted a resolution at its recent conference calling for members who failed to support the Bill to be held accountable. Party spokesperson Farai Marapira said implementation of conference resolutions had begun, but did not say whether disciplinary hearings against the absent MPs had started.
“Some resolutions have already started being implemented, so as we move forward with implementation, we will be advising.”
Asked whether provincial party structures had a role in the process, Marapira said he would check before responding. He had not provided a further answer by the time the report was prepared.
Reports of possible sanctions have varied in their count and in the officials named. Several accounts have put the number of absent Zanu PF MPs at about 14, including ministers and deputy ministers. Mavetera’s name has appeared among those facing scrutiny. The party has not publicly issued a final list of those to be disciplined or confirmed which consequences they could face.
Garwe rejects claims he is behind the move
Mavetera’s supporters in Mashonaland East accuse Garwe of helping to organise a vote of no confidence against the legislator. Garwe, a senior party figure who campaigned for CAA3, is alleged to have viewed her failure to attend the vote as a rebuff in his political backyard.
When approached about the claim that he was pushing for her removal, Garwe rejected the suggestion and directed attention to those circulating it.
“The best people to provide information to you are the content creators of that narrative. Please communicate directly with them. I have no business engaging in such basement activities,” he said.
The dispute is being described by party insiders as about more than attendance. Some members allege that Mavetera has alienated senior figures through an increasingly dismissive manner. One insider said:
“Some people in the province feel that Mavetera has been full of herself and has not been respecting senior party members,”
The same insider linked that complaint to the parliamentary vote, saying:
“Her failure to present herself for the vote was seen as an additional sign of disrespect, particularly given the amount of work that had gone into mobilising support for the Bill. There are people who now want to see her political downfall.”
Mavetera is said to be relying on her standing among voters in Chikomba West to resist pressure from influential provincial party members. People familiar with her efforts say she has been reaching out to supporters and asking for their backing as the dispute intensifies.
“She is hoping that popular backing from the constituency can strengthen her position against influential figures within the provincial party structures,” one source said.
Mavetera could not be reached for comment. Calls to her mobile phone were met with a continuously engaged line.
Cabinet speculation raises the stakes
The accounts describe a proposal still under discussion, not a decision announced by the President. No official list has been released and no statement from the Presidency has confirmed that Mavetera will lose her portfolio. The possibility of a reshuffle has nevertheless added urgency to the party conflict, as a disciplinary process and changes to ministerial appointments could affect the same group of senior officials.
The latest speculation follows changes to the government’s economic team in October. Mnangagwa reassigned Mthuli Ncube as Finance Minister and appointed businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei as Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion. Those moves showed that ministerial responsibilities could be rearranged, but they did not confirm the wider changes now being discussed.
CAA3 has also intensified arguments over the party’s leadership and succession. Under the new arrangements, Parliament rather than voters will choose the President, while the next election has been delayed until 2030. The change has therefore made parliamentary votes and party discipline especially significant to Zanu PF members seeking to shape future leadership decisions.
Chiwenga row returns to the foreground
Mavetera’s current difficulties have revived criticism connected with an incident at the National Heroes Acre in January 2025. During the burial of national hero Justin Mupamhanga, Mavetera was reported to have led members of her Young Women for ED group in a chant that critics interpreted as directed at Chiwenga, who was then Acting President.
The words attributed to the song were “mupanduki mupanduki nguva yakwana, chera mwena” — translated as “traitor, traitor, your time is up”. Chiwenga supporters at the ceremony responded with the chant “siyanai naye Chiwenga munovengerei”, or “leave Chiwenga alone, why do you hate him?” The opposing chants made the ceremony a visible display of rival loyalties within the party.
The incident drew criticism from people who said the song was disrespectful to Chiwenga and inappropriate at a national memorial site. Zanu PF spokesperson Marapira said the Young Women for ED organisation had its own structures and that he spoke for the party. Mavetera did not respond to requests for comment at the time.
More recently, claims circulated about Mavetera’s reaction to delegates who gave Chiwenga a standing ovation at a gathering in Chinhoyi. The reports said she argued that such an ovation should be reserved for Mnangagwa. Madzibaba Kobo subsequently addressed the matter in a video, admonishing Mavetera to respect older political figures and warning that arrogance and attacks on senior leadership could damage her political standing.
Kobo’s intervention added a public religious voice to a dispute already playing out through party meetings, social media and competing accounts from political supporters. His warning recalled the earlier criticism after the Heroes Acre chant, although the two incidents took place at different events and more than a year apart.
The current pressure on Mavetera now has several strands: her absence from the CAA3 vote, a reported campaign inside Mashonaland East, criticism over her relationship with senior party figures and speculation about ministerial changes. She is attempting to draw strength from her constituency base, while party officials have not disclosed the details or timetable of disciplinary proceedings.
For now, there has been no public confirmation that Mavetera will be removed from Cabinet or from her parliamentary seat. But the combination of a party resolution, accusations from provincial rivals and reports of a wider reshuffle has made her political future a subject of growing attention within Zanu PF.