Harare – Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has been plunged into deeper turmoil following a leaked recording in which party spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa launches a blistering attack on Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, exposing a bitter power struggle to succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The audio, part of an investigation by UK-based unit Dug Up, has ignited a firestorm within Zanu-PF, highlighting the widening chasm between Mnangagwa and his deputy.
The authenticity of the recording remains unverified, as Mutsvangwa was unreachable for comment. However, the remarks have drawn a sharp rebuke from the General Chiwenga Voluntary Supporters Association (GCVSA), an organisation that openly supports the Vice President.
In a strongly worded statement, GCVSA secretary general Ntokozo Msipha accused Mutsvangwa of being on a “treacherous mission” to destabilise Zimbabwe’s leadership and advance a “shadowy 2030 succession plot” aimed at installing “Western-backed stooges” in positions of power.
“His recent reckless utterances against General Constantino Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga (Rtd) are not mere political blunders, but part of a well-orchestrated agenda to destabilise Zimbabwe’s leadership and advance a shadowy 2030 succession plot that seeks to sideline genuine revolutionaries in favour of Western-backed stooges,” Msipha stated.
The GCVSA further accused Mutsvangwa of resorting to “gossip and slander” due to a lack of courage to engage in “real” political battles. “His attacks on General Chiwenga are not personal, but part of a broader scheme dictated by those who seek to install puppets in positions of power while eliminating true patriots,” the statement read. “Mutsvangwa has chosen to fight his battles with gossip and slander because he lacks the courage to stand on the battlefield of real warriors.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Zanu-PF chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri recently warned of a “national security threat” stemming from the weaponisation of the ruling party’s resolution to extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030. She appeared to be targeting ruling party officials who have publicly criticised Chiwenga’s stance on the 2030 agenda.
The leaked recording also reveals Mutsvangwa’s low opinion of Chiwenga’s intellectual capabilities. Mutsvangwa claims that Chiwenga’s lack of education is evident in his inability to properly pronounce the letter “L,” a common shibboleth used to distinguish educated Shona speakers.
“If you want to know that a Shona speaking person did not go to school ask that they pronounce the letter L,” Mutsvangwa is heard saying. “The letter R comes from the mother, the L comes from a teacher, that is the basic litmus test of an illiterate Shona person. He never managed to graduate from the mother’s alphabet. Going to war is no substitute for illiteracy and ignorance, we went to war from universities.”
Mutsvangwa also criticised Chiwenga’s handling of his ex-wife, Marry Mubaiwa, who suffers from acute lymphoedema and has had limbs amputated. Mubaiwa faces charges of attempting to kill the former army commander and has been denied the opportunity to seek life-saving treatment abroad.
Mutsvangwa’s comments have laid bare the deep-seated divisions within Zanu-PF over Mnangagwa’s succession, despite the president’s insistence that he will not seek to extend his rule beyond 2028. Zanu-PF commissar Munyaradzi Machacha and other top officials have been pushing for the 2030 resolution, despite Mnangagwa’s public stance. Machacha referred inquiries to Zanu-PF secretary for legal affairs Patrick Chinamasa, who was unavailable for comment.
The full investigation, presented by journalist Maynard Manyowa, is available on YouTube, offering a deeper dive into the explosive Zanu-PF succession battle.
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