Chiwenga cracks the whip in Zanu-PF

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has issued a stern reprimand to the Zanu-PF Harare provincial executive, led by Goodwills Masimirembwa, over a series of internal transgressions that party insiders say are fuelling deepening factionalism within the ruling party.

Chiwenga, accompanied by Zanu-PF national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and secretary-general Obert Mpofu, delivered the dressing-down during a high-level meeting held last Tuesday at the party's headquarters in Harare. The gathering included members from the party's main wing, the women's and youth leagues, and Harare-based central committee members.

According to party insiders, the vice president accused the provincial leadership of straying from party ideology and prioritising personal financial gain over Zanu-PF principles. "VP Chiwenga preached the history of the liberation struggle to us as a province and told Masimirembwa that no amount of money can buy Zanu-PF, or the blood that was shed during the war," one source said.

Chiwenga reportedly took aim at the province's attempts to co-opt individuals into the central committee without following laid-down procedures, specifically citing the failed effort to bring businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei into the powerful body. He instructed the province to immediately halt all such moves.

The vice president also ordered the reinstatement of around 13 members — mostly from the youth wing — who were recently suspended without due process, allegedly for backing Chiwenga as a potential successor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The suspensions had deepened suspicions of internal purges linked to the ongoing power contest within the party.

Masimirembwa, sources said, was further admonished for leasing out Zanu-PF offices to vendors and allegedly pocketing the rental income. He was directed to redirect all funds collected from party assets to the national party finance department. "Masimirembwa apologised profusely for breaching party procedures," a senior official present at the meeting confirmed.

Another flashpoint in the meeting was the handling of 18 vehicles reportedly donated to the province by Tagwirei. The central leadership ordered that the cars be surrendered to party headquarters. However, resistance quickly surfaced, with provincial political commissar Voyage Dambuza and others reportedly dismissing the directive as "baseless threats" in internal WhatsApp groups.

The developments come amid growing tensions in Zanu-PF over the party's 2028 succession question. A faction aligned with Mnangagwa is believed to favour Tagwirei as his successor, while another bloc, mostly aligned with the military establishment, continues to back Chiwenga — a key architect of the 2017 coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe.

Despite pressure from allies to extend his rule, Mnangagwa has publicly stated several times that he will not seek a third term beyond 2028. Nevertheless, the party controversially passed a resolution at last year's conference in Bulawayo proposing a constitutional amendment to allow him to stay in office until at least 2030.

Masimirembwa declined to comment when contacted.

As Zanu-PF continues to grapple with internal discord and succession jostling, Tuesday's confrontation suggests a growing impatience from the party's top brass with rogue provincial elements. Whether Chiwenga's rebuke will restore order or further entrench divisions remains to be seen.