Harare, Zimbabwe – Zanu-PF’s ongoing cell restructuring exercise, intended to strengthen party organisation, has instead exposed deep-seated factionalism and a fierce power struggle amongst loyalists of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, Newsday has reported.
The exercise, which began on June 17th, has highlighted the simmering tensions surrounding the succession debate, particularly given President Mnangagwa’s stated intention to step down in 2028.
The party’s cell verification process, involving the deployment of senior party members across all ten provinces, has been marred by reports of significant chaos. Provincial executives submitted their cell reports to the national office last week, and sources within the commissariat department paint a picture of widespread manipulation.
“Depending on who controls a district between the two leaders, cells were manipulated in that respect,” a source revealed.
This suggests that the fight for control of party structures is not merely a matter of internal organisation but a strategic manoeuvre in the upcoming succession battle.
The source further explained the strategic implications of this manipulation: “The fight is on the control of districts and ultimately the provinces so that whoever wants to succeed Mnangagwa has a [solid] base.”
This statement underscores the deeply political nature of the cell restructuring, with factions vying for control of key positions within the party hierarchy. The focus on district co-ordinating committees points to a concerted effort to secure influence at the grassroots level, laying the groundwork for a future power play. The source predicts a “real fight” as the party heads towards 2028, a year that will be crucial in determining the party’s future leadership.
Despite President Mnangagwa’s repeated pronouncements that he will not seek a third term, a significant faction within Zanu-PF, rallying under the “ED2030” slogan, is actively pushing for a constitutional amendment to allow him to remain in power beyond 2028.
This push for an extended term highlights the deep divisions within the party and the lengths to which some factions are willing to go to secure their preferred outcome.
The reduced number of delegates at the upcoming annual people’s conference in October further suggests the depth of the factional wars. Observers interpret this reduction as a direct consequence of the ongoing power struggles within the party.
Branch executive committees, tasked with the physical restructuring of cells and villages, have been operating under the guidance of district and provincial leaders, a structure that has seemingly been exploited to consolidate power within specific factions.
President Mnangagwa himself addressed the issue of party unity during a recent Politburo meeting.
“All moves to damage the interests of the people of our great motherland tamper with our unity, social harmony, development interest, sovereignty, security and overall national stability should be decisively dealt with,” he stated.
This strong warning indicates his awareness of the damaging effects of the factional fighting on the party’s image and stability.
However, attempts to obtain further comment from senior Zanu-PF officials proved unsuccessful. Zanu-PF national spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa was unavailable for comment, being out of the country.
Zanu-PF information director Farai Marapira referred inquiries to political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha, who could not be reached. Lovemore Matuke, the national secretary for security, also directed inquiries to Machacha, highlighting the apparent reluctance within the party to publicly address the issue.
However, Matuke added, “The spokesperson of the party is Chris Mutsvangwa, he is the only person who can comment on that. He will explain that issue so that you have a correct narrative. Machacha can also comment on that, we only deal with cases that we need to investigate, so the issue of structures is not my department. But have not heard of any reports of chaos.”
The party’s political commissar, Machacha, previously stated that defeated candidates were contributing to the unrest by refusing to accept the results of the internal party elections. This suggests that the conflict is not solely about the succession debate but also encompasses unresolved grievances from previous internal contests.
Zanu-PF’s history is punctuated by internal conflicts and power struggles. The current situation, however, appears to be particularly intense, with the cell restructuring exercise serving as a battleground for the competing factions vying for control of the party’s future.
