Zanu PF’s succession battle gets dangerous as team VP Chiwenga claims that mercenaries have been hired to assassinate General Chiwenga

Harare – Zimbabwe’s political landscape has taken a dramatic turn as tensions escalate within the ruling Zanu PF party. A shadowy organisation known as the General Chiwenga Voluntary Supporters Association (GCVSA), aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, has made explosive claims that mercenaries have been contracted to assassinate the former army commander.

These sensational allegations come amidst a backdrop of intensifying factionalism within Zanu PF, with the power struggle between Chiwenga and President Emmerson Mnangagwa now playing out in the open.

The GCVSA’s claims arrive as expelled Zanu PF Central Committee member and militant war veteran Blessed “Bombshell” Geza has reignited political tensions in Zimbabwe with a series of explosive allegations against President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his administration.

Geza, who disappeared after previous press briefings that led to the arrest of journalist Blessed Mhlanga, has resurfaced, accusing Mnangagwa of attempting to poison Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, engaging in widespread corruption, and betraying the principles of the liberation struggle.

In a statement shared with New Zimbabwe, the GCVSA asserted they were privy to a plot not only to eliminate Chiwenga but also to target anyone participating in a planned demonstration slated for March 31st.

“We pre-empt and categorically expose the treasonous move to deploy mercenaries imported from Sierra Leone, assigned with the heinous mission of eliminating General Chiwenga,” declared Ntokozo Msipha, the organisation’s secretary general.

“This foreign interference in our national affairs is an act of war! We warn those involved your names are known, your movements tracked, and your betrayal of Zimbabwe will be met with full consequences.”

The allegations of an assassination plot come against a backdrop of open hostility between factions within Zanu PF. Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, a staunch supporter of Mnangagwa’s continued rule beyond his constitutionally mandated term in 2028, recently described Chiwenga as “cruel, unintelligent, and unelectable” in a recorded call that was leaked last week. Despite Chiwenga’s reported demand for action against Mutsvangwa, no disciplinary measures have been taken.

Chiwenga is seen as challenging Mnangagwa’s stay in power beyond 2028. The latter’s supporters, mainly from Masvingo province where he hails, are campaigning that he hangs on to 2030.

Clad in visibly new military garb, Geza warned Mnangagwa that his time in office is up, reminding him of the support he received from Chiwenga during the 2017 military coup that ousted the late President Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa’s expulsion as Vice President on November 6, 2017, was the spark that ignited “Operation Restore Legacy,” led by General Chiwenga.

“You poisoned General Chiwenga, who assisted you when you had run away. Mugabe wanted to give power to Chiwenga, but he refused. But today you are going after Chiwenga. Are you sure? What exactly did you do during the liberation struggle?” fumed Geza.

Geza alleges that Mnangagwa was involved in Chiwenga’s poisoning, referring to the VP’s medical treatment in China in 2020. “Mnangagwa was 100 per cent involved in the poisoning of General Chiwenga. I have the evidence from his brother, called Joseph Rera. When Mnangagwa was asked by Rera how General Chiwenga was coping with his health while in China, Mnangagwa, you said Chiwenga was a goner, and that he would return to Zimbabwe in a coffin,” Geza claimed.

He further alleged that Mnangagwa had a hand in the deaths of scores of military generals, especially during the Covid-19 era.

War veterans, led by Blessed Geza have vowed to lead a protest on March 31 against cronyism they say now characterises Mnangagwa’s regime.

Msipha added: “We stand firm in full support of the people’s call to action on March 31, 2025. This is not a day of recklessness, but a day of decisive movement by Zimbabweans who refuse to be ruled by fear, deceit, and treachery. The time for tyranny is over, the hour for accountability is now!

“The enemy is shaken. We are fully aware of the Home Affairs Ministry’s planned press conference, an attempt to intimidate the people with hollow threats, lawfare, and brute force. Let it be clear: the people will not be intimidated by recycled rhetoric or empty posturing. No force on earth can stop a determined people!

“To the police and military personnel, remember your oath is to Zimbabwe-not to a rogue regime. Any orders to harm unarmed civilians on March 31 are unlawful and will not be forgotten.

“The regime’s days are numbered, and those who think they can rule through poisoning, mercenaries, and violence will soon face the people’s judgment!”

A press conference by war veteran Ethan Mathibela to announce the protest was disturbed by unidentified men in Bulawayo earlier this week.

As Zimbabwe braces for potential unrest, the allegations of an assassination plot and the planned protests on March 31st have created a volatile atmosphere, raising serious questions about the stability of the nation and the future of Zanu PF.