Chiwenga rallies for unity, integrity at Zanu-PF Conference

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga delivered a strongly worded and emotionally charged address at the Zanu-PF annual national conference in Mutare today, calling for unity, integrity, and a return to the party's liberation values amid deepening factional tensions and succession battles within the ruling party.

Speaking to delegates gathered in the eastern highlands city, Chiwenga said the conference was not merely a routine political event but a "moment of reflection, renewal and recommitment" to the revolutionary ideals that have guided Zanu-PF since the liberation struggle.

"This is not merely another conference - it is a moment of reflection, renewal and recommitment to the timeless values that carries our revolutionary party Zanu-PF from days of the liberation struggle to the envisaged future," Chiwenga declared.

Amid speculation about widening divisions in the party over President Emmerson Mnangagwa's succession, the Vice-President's remarks appeared both a moral appeal and a veiled warning. He invoked the sacrifices of liberation heroes as a reminder of the values that, he said, should continue to guide the party and the nation.

"The fallen are watching us," Chiwenga said solemnly. "Their blood demands integrity. Their voices cry out against corruption, laziness and moral decay."

He recalled how ordinary Zimbabweans played a vital role in the liberation struggle, emphasising that every household contributed to the cause - whether by feeding fighters, sewing uniforms, or offering shelter. That, he said, created an unbreakable bond between the party and the people.

"The same unity that drove our liberation struggle must now be the moral compass guiding us into the future. We must continue to move forward as a party with one destiny, bound by a shared vision," he urged.

Turning to economic issues, Chiwenga reiterated the need for broad-based empowerment and inclusive growth, saying economic policies must serve the people rather than the elite.

"Economic empowerment must equip all our people with the means to produce, innovate and own their destiny. We must build a people-centred economy that empowers every Zimbabwean, not just a few," he said. "That is the essence of Vision 2030 and revolutionary continuity."

The Vice-President also invoked the memory of the late liberation commander Josiah Magama Tongogara, describing him and other fallen comrades as selfless patriots who sacrificed their lives for a just and prosperous Zimbabwe.

"Some of them knew they would not see a liberated Zimbabwe but still fought," he said. "Those camps in Mozambique and Zambia were not just military outposts. They were altars of sacrifice - places where pain, courage, and faith fused into the spirit of liberation."

Chiwenga closed his address by urging delegates to look beyond personal ambition and factional loyalties, calling instead for unity of purpose.

"It is about the Zimbabwe we will bequeath to generations to come," he said.

The conference comes at a time of mounting internal contestation within Zanu-PF, with factions reportedly positioning themselves ahead of the party's 2028 elective congress, where the issue of leadership succession is expected to dominate.

Chiwenga's speech, rich in liberation rhetoric and moral appeal, appeared designed to rally the party around its founding ethos - and to remind members that the revolutionary torch must not be dimmed by corruption or disunity.