News / National
Zanu-PF battlelines drawn over Tagwirei
04 Aug 2025 at 10:00hrs | Views
Zanu-PF's simmering succession battle has erupted into open confrontation, with the party's legal affairs secretary Patrick Chinamasa clashing head-on with secretary-general Obert Mpofu and spokesman Christopher Mutsvangwa over the controversial co-option of businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei into the ruling party's Central Committee.
The dispute has laid bare deep divisions within the party, with Chinamasa moving to override Mpofu's June 30 circular that outlined the official guidelines for co-opting members into the Central Committee. Chinamasa issued his own directive purporting to withdraw Mpofu's circular, a move widely interpreted as aimed at ensuring Tagwirei's eligibility.
Mutsvangwa, in a recent media briefing, flatly declared Tagwirei ineligible for co-option, insisting that the businessman had not met the necessary criteria. Chinamasa, however, insists Tagwirei has already been successfully co-opted, setting the stage for a fierce intra-party standoff.
The public disagreement has now drawn the battlelines between Mutsvangwa and Chinamasa, exposing factional manoeuvres linked to the question of who will eventually succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Tagwirei's perceived alignment with certain factions has made his presence in the Central Committee a lightning rod for political tensions.
While Mpofu has remained largely restrained in public since Chinamasa's intervention, insiders say he is irked by the legal affairs chief's attempt to usurp the secretary-general's constitutional role in managing internal administrative processes.
Chinamasa, a political heavyweight and combative veteran known for his fiery exchanges — including a notorious 2004 incident in which he was violently shoved to the floor in Parliament by the late MDC legislator Roy Bennett during a heated debate — has signalled he is prepared to fight both Mpofu and Mutsvangwa to defend his position.
The row over Tagwirei's co-option is widely seen within Zanu-PF as more than just a procedural squabble. It is increasingly viewed as a proxy battle in the intensifying succession struggle, with factions manoeuvring to secure strategic positions and allies ahead of a possible leadership transition.
Party insiders warn that unless the dispute is resolved quickly, it risks spilling further into the public domain, deepening perceptions of instability within Zanu-PF's upper echelons at a time when unity is being publicly projected as paramount.
The dispute has laid bare deep divisions within the party, with Chinamasa moving to override Mpofu's June 30 circular that outlined the official guidelines for co-opting members into the Central Committee. Chinamasa issued his own directive purporting to withdraw Mpofu's circular, a move widely interpreted as aimed at ensuring Tagwirei's eligibility.
Mutsvangwa, in a recent media briefing, flatly declared Tagwirei ineligible for co-option, insisting that the businessman had not met the necessary criteria. Chinamasa, however, insists Tagwirei has already been successfully co-opted, setting the stage for a fierce intra-party standoff.
The public disagreement has now drawn the battlelines between Mutsvangwa and Chinamasa, exposing factional manoeuvres linked to the question of who will eventually succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Tagwirei's perceived alignment with certain factions has made his presence in the Central Committee a lightning rod for political tensions.
While Mpofu has remained largely restrained in public since Chinamasa's intervention, insiders say he is irked by the legal affairs chief's attempt to usurp the secretary-general's constitutional role in managing internal administrative processes.
Chinamasa, a political heavyweight and combative veteran known for his fiery exchanges — including a notorious 2004 incident in which he was violently shoved to the floor in Parliament by the late MDC legislator Roy Bennett during a heated debate — has signalled he is prepared to fight both Mpofu and Mutsvangwa to defend his position.
The row over Tagwirei's co-option is widely seen within Zanu-PF as more than just a procedural squabble. It is increasingly viewed as a proxy battle in the intensifying succession struggle, with factions manoeuvring to secure strategic positions and allies ahead of a possible leadership transition.
Party insiders warn that unless the dispute is resolved quickly, it risks spilling further into the public domain, deepening perceptions of instability within Zanu-PF's upper echelons at a time when unity is being publicly projected as paramount.
Source - businessdaily.co.zw
