Chiwenga blocked Tagwirei at Politburo

As Zanu-PF gears up for its annual conference in Mutare from 13-18 October, internal tensions have escalated over the party's succession and the controversial 2030 agenda. Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, backed by senior officials, flexed his influence on Wednesday by forcing political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha to remove a section on co-opting party members into the Central Committee from his politburo report. This move effectively keeps multi-millionaire tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei - a major Zanu-PF benefactor and Mnangagwa ally - at bay.

Chiwenga chairs a presidium committee, which includes party chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and secretary-general Obert Mpofu, tasked with resolving the co-option deadlock. The issue has become a key battlefield in the struggle between Mnangagwa's faction and Chiwenga's camp, both vying for influence over the party's succession process.

Although Mnangagwa has publicly pledged to step down in 2028 at the end of his second term, his allies are aggressively pushing for a 2030 extension or even a potential third term, leveraging party resources and financial clout. Tagwirei, widely speculated to harbor presidential ambitions—which he denies—is seeking co-option into the Central Committee and politburo, aiming to use these positions as a springboard for future leadership ambitions.

Efforts to admit Tagwirei were repeatedly blocked by Chiwenga, who cited procedural irregularities and concerns over attempts to buy party positions. Party spokesman Chris Mutsvangwa echoed this, criticizing Tagwirei for using financial influence to secure decision-making roles. Despite claims by legal affairs secretary Patrick Chinamasa that Tagwirei's co-option had been approved, Chiwenga's intervention removed the issue from both the politburo report and Central Committee agenda, leaving it frozen ahead of the Mutare conference.

Mnangagwa's allies have not shied away from using wealth to consolidate power. Tagwirei has funded party operations, furnished Zanu-PF headquarters, and donated millions to party structures. Similarly, tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo reportedly gifted ten provincial chairpersons Land Cruiser 300 Series VXR vehicles and cash injections, actions widely interpreted as support for the 2030 agenda and a bid to influence succession outcomes.

With the co-option issue frozen and Tagwirei sidelined, Chiwenga has demonstrated his formidable political clout within Zanu-PF, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown at the Mutare conference. The coming weeks are expected to see intensified maneuvering as Mnangagwa's allies push for the 2030 resolution, while Chiwenga and his supporters work to block any unconstitutional extensions of the president's term.

The conference now looms as a critical flashpoint, where the battle for Zanu-PF's internal control and Zimbabwe's succession roadmap will be fiercely contested.