By CHIPO MUSARURWA MASIZIBA: Zimbabwe’s political landscape is once again shifting beneath the surface. What appears on the surface as a routine reshuffle within ZANU PF’s Politburo is, in fact, a calculated maneuver by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to consolidate power ahead of the party’s critical conference in Manicaland. The demotion of Obert Mpofu an ally of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and the elevation of Jacob Mudenda to Secretary General is not just administrative.
It’s strategic. It’s symbolic. And it’s telling. In accordance with Article 9 Section 65 of the ZANU PF Constitution, Mnangagwa has exercised his mandate to reorganise the Politburo. But the timing and nature of these changes suggest more than constitutional housekeeping. They reflect a president who fears the unpredictable outcomes of the upcoming conference and is preemptively neutralising potential threats. Mpofu’s reassignment to the ICT portfolio a role with limited political leverage is widely seen as a demotion.
His proximity to Chiwenga made him a liability in a moment where Mnangagwa seeks to control succession narratives. Meanwhile, Mudenda’s promotion signals a tightening of Mnangagwa’s inner circle, placing trusted loyalists in key positions to steer the party’s messaging and conference resolutions. Vice President Chiwenga remains publicly silent, but his influence is far from diminished. His military background, liberation credentials, and disciplined persona continue to command respect within Province 11 the (Army) and among war veterans.
The fact that Mnangagwa has not openly endorsed him as successor, despite constitutional expectations, has created a vacuum filled with speculation, factionalism, and quiet resistance. Political insiders suggest that Chiwenga’s camp is watching every move, and while he has not declared ambition, the very efforts to obstruct him signal his relevance. In Zimbabwean politics, silence is often louder than rhetoric.
Beyond personalities, tribal dynamics are once again surfacing. Zimbabwe has had a Zezuru president (Mugabe), now a Karanga (Mnangagwa), and whispers of a Manyika presidency are growing louder especially with Chris Mutsvangwa’s erratic positioning and visible ambition. The succession debate is no longer binary; it’s tribal, generational, and ideological. Three factions now dominate the ZANU PF chessboard:
- Team Mnangagwa: Seeking term extension and continuity.
– Team Chiwenga: Silent, disciplined, and constitutionally aligned.
- Team Mutsvangwa/Manyika Bloc: Ambitious, vocal, and increasingly assertive. Meanwhile, ordinary Zimbabweans continue to lose faith in the political process. The economy remains fragile, corruption unchecked, and public services deteriorating. The diaspora grows daily, with over 5 million Zimbabweans now living abroad many of them disillusioned by the lack of accountability and reform.
The 2023 elections left scars. The opposition remains fractured. And civil society is under pressure. Yet, beneath the despair, there is a growing awareness: Zimbabweans are watching. The army is watching. And history is watching. Mnangagwa’s reshuffle is not just about party structure it’s about succession, survival, and control. Chiwenga’s silence is not weakness it’s strategy. And the Manicaland conference may well be the turning point that defines Zimbabwe’s political future. The question is no longer who will lead ZANU PF. It’s whether ZANU PF can survive its own contradictions.
