Obert Mpofu digs in amid claims Mnangagwa reshuffle?

Zanu-PF is engulfed in a bitter internal power struggle following President Emmerson Mnangagwa's controversial attempt to reshuffle the party's leadership, a move that has triggered open defiance from senior party official Obert Mpofu.

On Tuesday, party spokesman Christopher Mutsvangwa announced that Mpofu, the long-serving secretary-general, had been demoted to the position of secretary for information communication technology, with Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda appointed as the new secretary-general. However, within 48 hours, it became clear that the reshuffle was not being quietly accepted.

On Thursday, Mudenda sent a letter to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya regarding the state-assisted funeral of late comedian and radio personality Babongile Sikhonjwa. On the same day, Mpofu countered with his own correspondence, bearing a Zanu-PF headquarters date stamp of September 25, 2025, stating that the late John Gowa had been declared a liberation hero and would be buried in Mt Darwin. Notably, Mpofu signed the letter using his former title of "secretary-general," openly ignoring the announcement of his demotion.

The duelling letters expose a deep rift within Zanu-PF and raise questions over who controls the party machinery. The secretary-general's office is a pivotal role, responsible for the day-to-day running of party structures, and Mpofu's refusal to step aside signals the potential for a full-scale showdown.

Insiders say Mpofu, a close ally of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, is facing pressure from his faction to resist the reshuffle. Chiwenga, the frontrunner to succeed Mnangagwa when his term ends in 2028, is reportedly threatened by efforts from the president's loyalists to extend Mnangagwa's tenure beyond constitutional limits.

The standoff has been compounded by a legal opinion from prominent lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu, who argues that the reshuffle is unconstitutional. In his analysis, he asserts that the provisions cited in Mutsvangwa's announcement do not empower the president or the party spokesperson to reassign politburo members. He further noted that the title used by Mutsvangwa  -  "Secretary for Information and Publicity and Party Spokesperson"  -  does not exist in the party constitution, rendering any communication under it legally void.

Advocate Mpofu emphasised that the first secretary has no unilateral authority to alter key offices outside a party congress. "A power not enshrined in the constitution cannot lawfully be exercised," he wrote, adding that until the matter is resolved, the party should revert "to original settings."

The dispute is already causing administrative confusion, with both Mudenda and Mpofu issuing official-looking communications to government departments, leaving officials uncertain over whose directives to follow.

Observers warn that control of the secretary-general's office could determine which faction shapes Zanu-PF's agenda as the party heads into a critical annual conference scheduled from October 13 to 18.