President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm has become a focal point of political activity, as Zanu PF factions scramble to demonstrate their allegiance to the ED2030 campaign, a move increasingly seen as an attempt to sideline Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga from the presidential succession, The Standard has reported.
Party insiders suggest that the ED2030 campaign is a strategic manoeuvre to weaken Chiwenga’s faction and allow Mnangagwa to handpick his successor. The farm has become a gathering place for Zanu PF officials, with a register being kept of those who pledge their support to the 2030 agenda.
Douglas Kwande, the owner of DCK Bakeries, is reportedly responsible for recording the names of party officials who visit the farm.
“Party members who come to show solidarity are not only from Midlands, but across the country and Kwande keeps the register of those who visit,” revealed a senior Zanu PF official in the Midlands.
The activities at Mnangagwa’s farm echo the events leading up to Robert Mugabe’s fall from power, when his Mazowe farm became a hub for the G40 faction, associated with the then First Lady Grace Mugabe.
While Mnangagwa is constitutionally bound to step down after his second term ends in 2028, his loyalists are pushing a campaign to keep him in power beyond that date. The 81-year-old leader has been forced to publicly reiterate his commitment to the constitutional term limits on two occasions this year, amidst growing speculation about his intentions.
The Midlands province, considered Mnangagwa’s stronghold, is at the forefront of the 2030 campaign, with provincial minister Owen Ncube being the most vocal advocate.
Lewis Matutu, the Midlands deputy provincial chairperson, has reportedly assumed a more prominent role in pushing the agenda after Edson Chakanyuka Chiherenge was accused of lacking assertiveness.
“Matutu is now the defacto chairman after Chiherenge was pushed aside because he is accused of not being aggressive with the 2030 project,” a party official said.
Midlands provincial structures are confident that the 2030 project is now irreversible. Midlands youths were the first to call for Mnangagwa’s extended rule, shortly after he declared that he would retire after his current term.
Matutu, however, denied being tasked with pushing the 2030 agenda in the Midlands.
“That is not true at all. In any case, I have a good working relationship with the chairperson (Chakanyuka) whom I have worked with so well over the years from the days of the youth league. And also to note, these positions are not inherited, but these are deployments, and I was deployed to deputise Chakanyuka,” he told The Standard.
“Also, decisions from the province and the party are collective; they are made after thorough and rigorous consultations and the party agenda for now is Vision 2030 and this is what I am pushing for, not as an individual because it’s a collective decision. I have been always a hard worker, and I have always taken all the tasks given to me with the seriousness that they deserve and any wrongful interpretation of how I then conduct my duties can then be mischievous,” he added.
Chiherenge and Kwande were not available for comment.
Chiwenga, who is seen as Mnangagwa’s natural successor by some, has not publicly endorsed the ED2030 slogan, leading to speculation that his faction is resisting the agenda. The slogan has reportedly caused divisions within Zanu PF, with some members resisting pressure to chant it. However, the party’s spokesperson, Farai Marapira, dismissed these allegations.
“We never had divisions as Zanu PF, we have been united. As a party we have conversations, ideas and growth. The ideas are only grown by conversations,” Marapira told The Standard.
Chiwenga played a key role in the 2017 coup that removed Mugabe from power and installed Mnangagwa as president. The coup occurred two weeks after Mnangagwa fled to South Africa following his dismissal for allegedly plotting against Mugabe. – The Standard.
