Plot to ‘punish’ VP Chiwenga over President Mnangagwa’s third term campaign revealed: There’ll be fireworks next month

The simmering tension within ZANU PF over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ambition to remain in power beyond 2028 is reaching a boiling point, with whispers of a plot to isolate and potentially sideline his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, emerging from within the party’s ranks, The Standard has reported.

The latest revelations, gleaned from ruling party insiders, suggest that Mnangagwa’s allies are orchestrating a strategic campaign to consolidate his grip on power, leaving Chiwenga and his supporters increasingly isolated within the party.

The “ED2030” campaign, which has seen a flurry of public endorsements for Mnangagwa’s continued leadership, is viewed by many as a thinly veiled attempt to weaken Chiwenga’s faction and pave the way for Mnangagwa to handpick his successor.

The campaign’s momentum has been particularly noticeable in the lead-up to the ZANU PF annual conference, scheduled for Bulawayo in October. ZANU PF’s Harare province has taken the lead in pushing for constitutional amendments that would allow Mnangagwa to remain in office beyond 2028, a move that has been met with mixed reactions within the party.

“The most critical issue which comes is that the Constitution of Zimbabwe must be amended to enable him [Mnangagwa] to continue to lead beyond 2028,” declared ZANU PF Harare provincial chairman Godwills Masimirembwa.

“We are aware that there are constitutional limitations; first of all, it says the President serves for a maximum of two terms of five years each. There is that window of extending the number of years for each term, or tentatively we can remove the term limit from two terms to three terms or scrap the term limit altogether.”

The province’s motion, echoing similar calls from other party structures, has fuelled speculation that Mnangagwa’s allies are using the conference as a platform to consolidate their power and marginalize Chiwenga.

Adding fuel to the fire, Mnangagwa’s farm has become a hub for ZANU PF officials, with a register being kept of those who pledge their support for the “ED2030” agenda.

Douglas Kwande, the owner of DCK Bakeries, is reportedly responsible for recording the names of party officials who visit the farm, a move reminiscent of the events leading up to Robert Mugabe’s fall from power, when his Mazowe farm became a gathering place for the G40 faction.

“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 “ED2030” campaign has also sparked divisions within the party, with some members resisting pressure to chant the slogan.

While ZANU PF spokesperson Farai Marapira dismissed allegations of divisions, his comments have been interpreted as a direct challenge to Mnangagwa’s intensifying campaign.

“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, who has notably refrained from endorsing the “ED2030” slogan, has openly criticized the rise of personality cults, power pursuits, and factionalism within ZANU PF.

“There is no room for factionalism at any level in the party. Our loyalty is not to individuals but to the bigger agenda, that of the party and the people of Zimbabwe who are supreme,” Chiwenga roared.

His comments, coupled with his silence on the “ED2030” campaign, have fuelled speculation that his faction is resisting Mnangagwa’s agenda.

The ZANU PF women and youth leagues, two influential party organs, have publicly endorsed Mnangagwa as the party’s leader beyond 2030. However, the war veterans league, another influential constituency within ZANU PF, is yet to publicly declare its stance on the endorsement of Mnangagwa’s extended rule.

According to a politburo member, senior ZANU PF officials are feeling the pressure to publicly declare their allegiance to Mnangagwa, fearing potential retribution.

“If war veterans’ chairpersons en masse declare support for President Mnangagwa, it may further isolate Vice President Chiwenga, making his potential presidential ambitions even more challenging,” the official said.

“The top war veterans’ leadership has not yet communicated a position to support the president’s continued stay in office, but then, loyalty is about individuals and not an association. So it is up to the provincial chairpersons to declare their positions. In Masvingo, war veterans tried to object to the president’s 2030 rule, but they have been discredited as a bogus association.”

Ten provinces have been forced to endorse Mnangagwa’s third term bid, with ZANU PF members who are against the extension of his term of office expecting Mnangagwa to announce his successor during the 2027 congress.

“The clear picture is expected to come out during the upcoming conference,” a source said.

“That is when the music will grow louder and pertinent party resolutions will be discussed. But at the moment, there is no bigger issue than the president’s term of office. Every party organ, province is strategising on how best to prove allegiance to the president.

“Those who support the president are convinced that the vice president wants to topple him, so they are going to work to defend their leader. Very soon, party organs and the president’s loyalists will openly expose the VP on his shenanigans.”