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Mnangagwa, Chiwenga clash over war veterans as succession battle intensifies
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The war veterans' constituency has emerged as a crucial battleground in the escalating political succession struggle between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, as the fight for control of Zimbabwe's post-2028 leadership heats up.
The war veterans, who hold historic significance due to their leading role in the country's liberation struggle, remain a powerful political force whose support is fiercely sought by both camps amid deepening factional divisions within ZANU PF.
In January, while serving as acting president, Chiwenga launched a scathing attack on Mnangagwa and his faction, accusing the president of leading a kleptocratic regime rife with patronage, corruption, and nepotism. Central to Chiwenga's campaign was the mobilisation of war veterans, many of whom have grown disenchanted with Mnangagwa's leadership and oppose his bid to extend his rule beyond the constitutional limit of 2028 to 2030.
Chiwenga's faction, supported by prominent war veterans such as Andreas Ethan Mathibela and Blessed Geza, has positioned itself as the voice of dissent within the veteran community. In response, Mnangagwa has mounted a vigorous counteroffensive aimed at winning over the veterans through a series of state-funded empowerment initiatives that critics say are intended to secure their loyalty and isolate Chiwenga.
On Friday, Mnangagwa officially launched the Presidential War Veterans Empowerment Scheme at City Sports Centre in Harare, unveiling a $3.5 million package designed to support income-generating projects, housing, agriculture, mining, and water access for veterans and their families. The first $1.5 million has already been distributed evenly across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces, with each receiving $150,000. Another $2 million is slated to benefit war collaborators, ex-detainees, non-combatants, and war widows.
The scheme includes a revolving fund offering interest-free loans to support veteran-led projects, a rural housing initiative to address the long-standing housing shortage among war veterans, and a borehole programme to improve access to clean water, thereby enhancing food security and rural livelihoods. Additionally, 50 tractors will be distributed on a zero-deposit basis to qualifying veteran farmers, while empowerment packages are also being rolled out to support veterans entering the mining sector.
Observers see these initiatives as politically motivated maneuvers designed to reinforce Mnangagwa's position ahead of the 2028 succession deadline and to block Chiwenga's ambitions. Funded in part by state resources and Mnangagwa's wealthy allies, the empowerment schemes are widely viewed as a strategic effort to secure the veterans' crucial backing for Mnangagwa's plan to extend his rule to 2030 and to protect his interests post-presidency.
Tensions between the two factions have been escalating since the ZANU PF annual conference in Bulawayo last October, where Mnangagwa was offered the controversial option to extend his rule beyond 2028, sparking angry dissent within the party. Since then, clashes between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga's supporters have become more overt, exposing deep rifts that threaten party unity.
While Mnangagwa presents the empowerment efforts as part of a broader vision for national development, critics argue that his political record — marked by allegations of human rights abuses and corruption — undermines the sincerity of these programs.
With the 2028 succession debate already fracturing the ruling party and the war veterans' loyalty hanging in the balance, analysts warn that Zimbabwe faces a volatile political future. The war veterans, long respected as kingmakers, now hold the power to influence whether Mnangagwa remains in control, whether Chiwenga ascends, or whether the party splinters amid unresolved tensions.
"The war veterans are not just kingmakers. In this succession matrix, they could determine the fate of Zimbabwe's ruling elite and the stability of the country itself."
The war veterans, who hold historic significance due to their leading role in the country's liberation struggle, remain a powerful political force whose support is fiercely sought by both camps amid deepening factional divisions within ZANU PF.
In January, while serving as acting president, Chiwenga launched a scathing attack on Mnangagwa and his faction, accusing the president of leading a kleptocratic regime rife with patronage, corruption, and nepotism. Central to Chiwenga's campaign was the mobilisation of war veterans, many of whom have grown disenchanted with Mnangagwa's leadership and oppose his bid to extend his rule beyond the constitutional limit of 2028 to 2030.
Chiwenga's faction, supported by prominent war veterans such as Andreas Ethan Mathibela and Blessed Geza, has positioned itself as the voice of dissent within the veteran community. In response, Mnangagwa has mounted a vigorous counteroffensive aimed at winning over the veterans through a series of state-funded empowerment initiatives that critics say are intended to secure their loyalty and isolate Chiwenga.
On Friday, Mnangagwa officially launched the Presidential War Veterans Empowerment Scheme at City Sports Centre in Harare, unveiling a $3.5 million package designed to support income-generating projects, housing, agriculture, mining, and water access for veterans and their families. The first $1.5 million has already been distributed evenly across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces, with each receiving $150,000. Another $2 million is slated to benefit war collaborators, ex-detainees, non-combatants, and war widows.
The scheme includes a revolving fund offering interest-free loans to support veteran-led projects, a rural housing initiative to address the long-standing housing shortage among war veterans, and a borehole programme to improve access to clean water, thereby enhancing food security and rural livelihoods. Additionally, 50 tractors will be distributed on a zero-deposit basis to qualifying veteran farmers, while empowerment packages are also being rolled out to support veterans entering the mining sector.
Observers see these initiatives as politically motivated maneuvers designed to reinforce Mnangagwa's position ahead of the 2028 succession deadline and to block Chiwenga's ambitions. Funded in part by state resources and Mnangagwa's wealthy allies, the empowerment schemes are widely viewed as a strategic effort to secure the veterans' crucial backing for Mnangagwa's plan to extend his rule to 2030 and to protect his interests post-presidency.
Tensions between the two factions have been escalating since the ZANU PF annual conference in Bulawayo last October, where Mnangagwa was offered the controversial option to extend his rule beyond 2028, sparking angry dissent within the party. Since then, clashes between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga's supporters have become more overt, exposing deep rifts that threaten party unity.
While Mnangagwa presents the empowerment efforts as part of a broader vision for national development, critics argue that his political record — marked by allegations of human rights abuses and corruption — undermines the sincerity of these programs.
With the 2028 succession debate already fracturing the ruling party and the war veterans' loyalty hanging in the balance, analysts warn that Zimbabwe faces a volatile political future. The war veterans, long respected as kingmakers, now hold the power to influence whether Mnangagwa remains in control, whether Chiwenga ascends, or whether the party splinters amid unresolved tensions.
"The war veterans are not just kingmakers. In this succession matrix, they could determine the fate of Zimbabwe's ruling elite and the stability of the country itself."
Source - online
