Zanu-PF councilor arrested over 'Mnangagwa must go' post

Zanu-PF Ward 24 Councillor Zivanai Zvada is currently in police custody after being arrested on April 1 for allegedly inciting public disorder by forwarding a politically charged message in a community WhatsApp group.

Zvada appeared before a Zaka Magistrate on April 3 and was remanded in custody until April 7 for a bail hearing. He is facing charges of incitement to commit public disorder following his alleged forwarding of a post originally made on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by activist Never Masweraseyi, which read "Mnangagwa a must go."

The message was reportedly shared in a WhatsApp group titled Ward 24 Development Agenda, which was initially created by Zaka Rural District Council (RDC) CEO David Majaura for development communication purposes. After Zvada's election as ward councillor, he took over administration of the group and used it for official communication with residents.

Sources close to the matter revealed that the post, forwarded on March 31, stayed in the group for several hours before Zvada deleted it following warnings from other members.

"He posted the message early in the morning and people discussed it privately. No one immediately alerted him, but later in the day he was warned and deleted it in the evening," said a source familiar with the group's activities.

Zvada was arrested later that evening after attending a full council meeting. While Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dehwa told TellZim News he had not yet received the report, sources confirmed Zvada was taken into custody by local police.

The incident comes amid a backdrop of political tension within the Zaka RDC. Councillor Zvada is a known ally of Council Chairperson Fungai Maregedze, who is also the wife of Zaka South MP Clemence Chiduwa. His arrest is believed to have broader implications within the divided council, where internal factionalism and power struggles are rife.

Notably, Zvada has previously clashed with CEO David Majaura, and had been instrumental in efforts to remove him from office — a detail that adds further intrigue to the arrest, given that the controversial WhatsApp group was originally Majaura's creation.

Efforts to reach Majaura for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone was either unreachable or went unanswered. When briefly contacted, he stated he was in court and promised to respond later.

Zvada's arrest is not an isolated case, highlighting the government's growing intolerance toward dissent on digital platforms. Recently, Milton Murairwa, a 31-year-old police officer, was arrested after posting a similar anti-government message in a WhatsApp group for police officers.

In yet another case, former Chiredzi Zanu-PF councillor Tarusenga Makamba was also arrested for a voice note allegedly criticizing the government, in which he said, "Chikomo cheHwedza chatsva" (Hwedza mountain is burning) — a coded message often interpreted as calling for political change.

These arrests signal an intensified crackdown on online speech critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF, even within the ruling party's own structures. Critics have raised concerns about the weaponization of social media monitoring to stifle internal dissent and control narratives ahead of potential political reshuffling and by-elections.

With Zvada set to return to court on April 7, all eyes are on the outcome, which could further expose internal fractures within Zanu-PF and set a precedent for how digital speech is policed across Zimbabwe.