Zanu PF axes 172 rogue affiliates

Zanu-PF has recommended only 80 of the 252 organisations that applied for affiliate status for approval, raising questions about the legal and organisational standing of numerous groups that have presented themselves as aligned to the ruling party.

The figures are contained in the party's 2026 central committee report, which says the vetting exercise was conducted by the commissariat department in conjunction with the department of national security.

"The commissariat department, together with the department of national security, has completed the vetting exercise for party affiliates," the report states.

It adds that approval was based on a new formula assessing each organisation's contribution to party growth, as confirmed by its respective province.

Zanu-PF's constitution allows organisations to apply for affiliate membership through formal procedures. However, the party has long struggled with the proliferation of groups claiming affiliation without completing the required application process.

In 2023, senior party officials warned that some organisations were imposing themselves on the party and needed to submit formal applications, including their constitutions and lists of office bearers.

A separate vetting exercise involving the leadership of 181 affiliated groups was reported earlier in 2026 amid concerns that some organisations were becoming entangled in succession-related factionalism or misusing presidential empowerment funds.

According to the central committee report, the security department examined applicants' organisational integrity and potential risks, including infiltration, fraud, reputational damage and conflicting loyalties.

The assessment covered the identities and backgrounds of office bearers, organisational constitutions and registration status, sources of funding, possible links to criminal networks or hostile intelligence activities, internal governance, financial controls and undisclosed political commitments.

The report also recommended improvements to future vetting exercises, including standardised written criteria, risk classifications, documented consent and disclosure procedures, review periods, and mechanisms for appeals or requests for clarification.

It emphasised that findings should be evidence-based and confidential, warning that unverified allegations, ethnicity, religion and lawful personal associations should not be grounds for disqualification.

The disclosure highlights the scale of Zanu-PF's wider support network, which includes both formal affiliate organisations and informal groups operating in the party's political orbit.

One prominent example is the Varakashi, a social media network widely associated with Zanu-PF and active mainly on X, where accounts target political opponents, human rights defenders and independent journalists.

A 2026 report by Johannesburg-based watchdog Intelwatch described the Varakashi as an organised digital group tasked with defending the ruling party and its leadership. The report said members used anonymous or pseudonymous accounts to engage in targeted harassment and attempts to undermine critics, with some activity involving explicit threats of physical and sexual violence.

Unlike organisations that formally applied for affiliate status through the party's commissariat, the Varakashi operate outside the structure of a directly registered, constitutionally recognised affiliate organisation.

The central committee report does not establish the status of every group that may publicly identify itself with Zanu-PF. However, the approval figures underscore the distinction between organisations formally recognised through the party's procedures and those that claim an association without confirmed affiliate approval.