Harare: A tense atmosphere hung heavy at the Defence Forces Day commemorations at Rufaro Stadium in Harare this week as Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga seemingly snubbed Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, refusing to shake his hand, Newsday has reported.
The incident, which has been widely reported in the media and on social media, is seen as the latest sign of the growing rift within the ruling party, with analysts warning that factional fights are set to explode anytime soon.
The incident occurred as Chiwenga walked past Mutsvangwa, choosing to greet his wife, Monica, who is the Women’s Affairs minister, instead. The former army general’s avoidance of a handshake with the war veterans leader has fuelled speculation about the growing tension between the two.
While Zanu PF director for information Farai Marapira dismissed the incident as a fabrication of social media, claiming that the two men greeted “quite warmly”, political analyst Tendai Ruben Mbofana believes the incident is just the tip of the iceberg.
“What we are seeing is just a tip of an iceberg. These factional fights are set to explode anytime very soon because it is not normal for a party spokesperson to attack a whole vice-president in the Press and on whose instruction,” he said.
The tension between Chiwenga and Mutsvangwa has been simmering for some time, with Mutsvangwa launching a series of public attacks on the Vice-President, who is widely seen as a potential successor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Three weeks ago, Mutsvangwa, in an interview with our sister paper The Standard, accused Chiwenga of seeking an “anointment” from the President, saying that Zanu PF is not a “secret society” and that leadership should be decided by the people. He also criticized Chiwenga’s ambition, saying that “Zanu PF is not Makandiwa’s church where he can have himself, his wife and his kids and his followers and say this is my church.”
Mutsvangwa went on to say that even if Mnangagwa were to endorse Chiwenga as his successor, this would be resisted. “You want to become a leader by induction, like a magnet saying ‘because I am a piece of iron I must also be magnetised by the President?’ Even if the President said there is a secret agreement, we would censure him,” he said.
The public spat between the two Zanu PF heavyweights is just the latest indication of the growing factionalism within the ruling party. While President Mnangagwa has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to extend his two terms, his loyalists have been pushing for him to stay in power beyond 2028.
This push for Mnangagwa’s extended stay in power has been fueled by the Zanu PF youth league, who have openly urged Mnangagwa to violate the Constitution, with various provincial structures calling for the extension of his reign. However, Chiwenga has publicly rebuked the youth league for chanting the “2030 Vanenge Vachimo” slogan, meaning Mnangagwa will still be in power.
This incident, where Chiwenga refused to greet Mutsvangwa, is seen as a direct response to Mutsvangwa’s public attacks and a sign of Chiwenga’s growing frustration with the factional infighting within the party. It is also a sign of the growing tension between the two men, who are both vying for power within Zanu PF.
The infighting within Zanu PF is likely to intensify in the coming months as the party prepares for the 2028 elections. The outcome of these power struggles will have a significant impact on the future of Zimbabwean politics.
The debate over Mnangagwa’s intentions has been further fueled by the recent actions of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. In a clear sign of his growing discontent with the “ED2030” campaign, Chiwenga has openly criticized the rise of personality cults, power pursuits, and factionalism within Zanu PF.
Chiwenga, who has notably refrained from endorsing the “ED2030” slogan, stressed that loyalty should lie with the party and the people of Zimbabwe, not with individual leaders. “There is no room for factionalism at any level in the party,” Chiwenga stated. “Our loyalty is not to individuals but to the bigger agenda, that of the party and the people of Zimbabwe who are supreme.”
His comments have been interpreted as a direct challenge to Mnangagwa’s intensifying “ED2030” campaign. Mnangagwa and Chiwenga are reportedly engaged in a fierce power struggle over ZANU PF’s unresolved leadership and succession issues, which have intensified as the former attempts to extend his rule beyond the 2028 constitutional term limit to 2030.
UK-based Zimbabwean lawyer, Brighton Mutebuka, recently claimed that there is a looming “final showdown” between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga over the control of the ruling ZANU PF party and the Zimbabwean government. “ED is going nowhere. Battle lines are now drawn everywhere. In SADC, in ZANU PF and all state institutions. The unfinished business of November 2017 has returned to haunt Zimbabwe. The showdown is looming,” Mutebuka wrote.
