Knives out in Mnangagwa succession dog fight

The race to succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa has escalated into a fierce and increasingly public struggle among Zanu-PF's top players, marked by legal wrangling, political scheming, and efforts to sideline perceived newcomers.

Sources within the ruling party reveal growing tensions following recent politburo, central committee, and women's league meetings, where factions have become more vocal and strategic in positioning their preferred candidates for leadership.

A key flashpoint is the apparent attempt by Mnangagwa loyalists to edge out Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga from the succession race, favoring business magnate Kudakwashe Tagwirei instead. Tagwirei's rise has alarmed some party stalwarts, prompting moves to disqualify him from contesting senior roles.

On Friday, it emerged that Zanu-PF legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa was compelled to retract a controversial memo sent to provincial party officials on June 5. The memo outlined strict eligibility criteria that could have effectively barred Tagwirei from becoming a central committee member -  a position crucial for contesting top party posts.

The memo, authored by party director of administration Rugare Gumbo Mpofu, demanded that nominees for the central committee must have held provincial or higher office continuously for at least five years, and be fully paid-up members in good standing. The directive warned that failure to meet these criteria would attract sanctions and invalidate nominations.

However, following Chinamasa's intervention, the party backtracked on enforcing these stringent requirements, allowing the door to remain open for Tagwirei's co-option.

The ongoing Zanu-PF cell verification exercise has further exposed deep factional divisions, with members jostling for control of influential District Coordinating Committees (DCCs). These committees wield significant power, directly influencing the makeup of the provincial coordinating committees, central committee, and the party's supreme decision-making organ, the politburo.

DCC members enjoy voting rights at party congresses, making their allegiance pivotal in the struggle to shape succession ahead of the provincial elections later this year and the 2027 elective congress.

The contest has reignited memories of previous fierce power struggles within Zanu-PF that led to multiple dissolutions of DCCs in the past.

Zanu-PF director of information Farai Marapira dismissed claims that the memo targeted any individual, emphasizing that the party's rules apply universally.

"Tagwirei is one of many who have been advanced for membership of our party's central committee," Marapira said.
"For anyone to suggest a decision targets a single person is the work of mischievous minds."

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga remains a frontrunner for the presidency, with party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa also touted as a possible contender.

President Mnangagwa, 82, is constitutionally mandated to end his term in 2028. Despite pressure from some factions to extend his tenure to 2030, he has publicly stated he has no intention to stay beyond his current term.

Observers warn that mismanagement of the succession could trigger instability reminiscent of the 2017 military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe. Mugabe's downfall followed infighting between factions loyal to him and his then-deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, amid accusations of corruption and attempts by former First Lady Grace Mugabe to assert power.

As Zanu-PF navigates this critical transition, the battle lines are firmly drawn, with legal tactics and political alliances shaping the future leadership of Zimbabwe.