Obert Mpofu retreats from Zanu-PF spotlight

Veteran Zanu-PF figure Obert Mpofu has sharply reduced his public engagement with the ruling party following last year's top-level reshuffle, senior party sources say, highlighting mounting internal tensions within the party.

The reshuffle in September 2025 saw Mpofu removed from his influential post as secretary for administration and reassigned to the lesser role of secretary for Information Communication Technology, widely interpreted by political analysts as a demotion ahead of Zanu-PF's annual conference in Mutare in October.

Since then, the former Cabinet minister and long-time politburo heavyweight has maintained a low profile, largely staying in Bulawayo and missing several key party meetings, despite repeated attempts to draw him back into active duties.

"Firstly, the President sent his aide to ask when Mpofu would return to the party offices in Harare. Mpofu refused. He said he was treated badly and had no interest in engaging," said a senior Zanu-PF official. "After that, party directors were sent last Friday to re-open talks. They received the same response. He refused to speak to the President."

Mpofu's reduced visibility signals a significant reversal of fortunes for a once-powerful figure who controlled Zanu-PF's organisational machinery and wielded authority over party structures, discipline, and internal elections.

Analysts say his estrangement exposes growing unease within the ruling party amid intensified power consolidation and has reignited resentment among some liberation war veterans who feel increasingly marginalised.

The September 2025 reshuffle was also widely viewed as part of a broader strategy to weaken Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who is seen as a potential successor to President Mnangagwa amid ongoing debates over the controversial 2030 term-extension agenda.

Zanu-PF Secretary of Information Farai Marapira and spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa did not respond to requests for comment.

Political observers say Mpofu's refusal to engage privately, despite outreach from the party and the President, marks a personal rupture that goes beyond routine factional manoeuvring. "Mpofu feels humiliated," said a former senior party official. "He believes the way he was removed was disrespectful, and no attempt was made to resolve issues internally before discarding him."

Mpofu's isolation is increasingly seen as a symptom of instability within the ruling elite, with analysts warning that succession tensions, economic challenges, and factional rivalries threaten Zanu-PF's cohesion at a critical time for the party and the country.