Harare – President Emmerson Mnangagwa is reportedly considering a significant Cabinet reshuffle, a move that could potentially weaken his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, amidst escalating tensions within Zanu PF over the party’s future leadership, The Standard has reported.
The possibility of a reshuffle comes against a backdrop of increasingly open infighting within Zanu PF, with Chiwenga becoming a focal point of attacks from Mnangagwa loyalists who accuse him of harbouring ambitions to succeed the 82-year-old president.
Mutsvangwa, himself rumoured to have presidential aspirations, claimed that the controversial proposal to extend Mnangagwa’s rule to 2030 was a strategy designed to prevent Chiwenga from ascending to the Zanu PF leadership.
Sources within Zanu PF have revealed that high-level consultations have been ongoing to reconfigure Mnangagwa’s Cabinet, which has already undergone several adjustments since the 2023 elections.
According to sources briefed on the developments, Zimbabwe National Army commander Anselm Sanyatwe, who is widely regarded as a staunch ally of Chiwenga, is being tipped to potentially take over from Coventry.
It is believed that Chiwenga’s faction within Zanu PF, which opposes the “agenda 2030” proposal, enjoys the backing of key figures within the security establishment. Consequently, the removal of Sanyatwe from his current position is seen as a move that would weaken the Vice President’s support base.
Tapfumaneyi gained prominence in the lead-up to the 2023 elections when he was accused of being a key figure behind the controversial Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ) trust, a Zanu PF-affiliated organisation that was accused of employing intimidation tactics to ensure Mnangagwa’s re-election.
One source also indicated that, “A proposal has also been made to give Sanyatwe’s wife, Chido Sanyatwe a full ministry so that she is removed from the Home Affairs ministry where she is deputy minister and controlling the police.”
“So you want to remove the president, but before you do so you want him to appoint, to annoint you. How do you do that? You’re squaring a circle! (Robert) Mugabe used to say I will nominate, I will give you my successor but the president (Mnangagwa) is saying no, we must go for elections. That’s normal for a democratic party.”
As of now, Mnangagwa’s office and Zanu PF have remained silent regarding Mutsvangwa’s explosive interview. Efforts to obtain a comment from Mnangagwa’s spokesperson concerning the proposed Cabinet changes have been unsuccessful.
Related
