Chiwenga steers clear of the Mnangagwa-2030 mantra

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga on Friday deftly avoided being stampeded into blind endorsement of the "2030 Mnangagwa" mantra which has vigorously been parroted by some party activists who want President Emmerson Mnangagwa to overshoot his two term limits by staying in power beyond 2028.

Chiwenga, the former military General who led the popular 2017 coup against ex-President Robert Mugabe, was delivering a speech at the Zanu-PF 21st National People's Conference in Bulawayo.

His indifferent demeanour was in contrast with a potentially divisive conference atmosphere in which some fawning party delegates reduced the annual Zanu-PF conference into a Mnangagwa praise and worship event, feeding into the incumbent's bid to stay in power beyond his term limits.

In his speech, Chiwenga stuck to substantive issues such as programmes aimed at boosting food security in a country battered by drought, the economy, industry as well as unity.

The closest he came to eulogising Mnangagwa was the credit he gave to the veteran politician in inventing policies aimed at elevating the country's fortunes in areas to do with agriculture, mining and tourism.

"May I conclude by reminding us all that our president has been consistently active and influential in shaping the body politic of our country  from the days of his youth in the 1960s.

"He has been a loyal, selfless and dedicated gallant son of this revolutionary party Zanu-PF," Chiwenga said.

The retired military commander also praised Mnangagwa for his assumed efforts in lessening the impact of western imposed sanctions against the country.

"The president continues to defy the odds, he personifies the true unshaken African spirit of hunhu, ubuntu, especially in the face of neo colonial machinations such as the illegal sanctions imposed on us," he said.

Chiwenga urged unity within a party that is always riven by succession politics and factionalism.

""I urge you all to be disciplined cadres, work together, and uphold our core values of peace, unity, and development as we continue to improve the livelihoods of our people," said the VP.

"Let us learn from the president in whom we have total confidence as peacebuilder unifier and development champion."

The vice president has never publicly expressed his ambitions to become the country's leader but unconfirmed reports within the party say he put is head on the block through leading the 2017 coup to allow Mnangagwa to serve for a single term and pass on the baton to him.