ZANU PF Politicians Protecting Nyokayemabhunu?

The Nyokayemabhunu extradition saga is still waters that are hiding a deeper truth. The battle for Nyokayemabhunu's custody is now exposing the vulnerability of activists in exile, but also the dangerous hypocrisy of some ZANU PF political heavyweights.

Nyokayemabhunu, the fiery anti-Mnangagwa activist currently in custody in South Africa is now the centrepiece of a silent war among Zimbabwe's most powerful players. Beneath the legal jargon and diplomatic niceties lies a desperate attempt by some within the upper echelons of ZANU PF to bury a story that could implicate them in serious acts of subversion and double-dealing.

Nyokayemabhunu did not act alone. His bold threats against President Mnangagwa including the disturbing rhetoric comparing his removal to Gaddafi's brutal ousting were not the ramblings of an isolated man. They were, we now understand, part of a larger political theatre, orchestrated and enabled by senior figures within the ruling party itself. Sources close to the case suggest that some of these individuals are not just mere party members, but influential power brokers, including members of the Politburo.

For these hidden hands, Nyokayemabhunu was a convenient tool a pawn in a power struggle far above his pay grade. But now, with his arrest and looming extradition, the same people who once egged him on are terrified that he may speak. And what he has to say could be politically explosive.

This fear explains why powerful Zimbabwean politicians are scrambling behind the scenes, using their networks in South Africa to block his extradition. They are pushing for political asylum not because they believe in Nyokayemabhunu's right to freedom of expression, but because they fear what he might reveal if subjected to interrogation by Zimbabwean security forces. In simpler terms, they want him silenced but kept out of reach.

In 2019, after the fuel protests it was revealed that some Politburo members had been working behind the scenes to fuel the protests. 

The President in one of his opening remarks did challenge Politburo members to ensure that their hands and conscience were clean on the attempt to sabotage and remove the government. Implying that the President knows that some in the Politburo were working behind the scenes with Blessed Geza , Nyokayemabhunu and others.

Nyokayemabhunu's lawyers argue he faces political persecution should he be returned to Zimbabwe. They cite, among other things, recent remarks by ZANU PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa, which suggest the case is deeply political. And they are right. This isn't just about one man's actions. It's about what those actions reveal about a party in disarray and a leadership riddled with internal betrayal.

Yes, Nyokayemabhunu must be held accountable for any laws he may have broken. But let us not pretend that he is the sole architect of his radicalism. Let us not pretend that he was not used, emboldened, funded, and directed by senior figures who now disown him when the stakes are too high.

In this saga, Nyokayemabhunu is both a threat and a victim. A threat to the political elite who see their secrets dangling on the edge of exposure, and a victim of the same power dynamics that elevated him when it was convenient.

The South African courts may soon decide his fate, but the real reckoning must come from within Zimbabwe. We must demand accountability not just from the man who shouted the loudest, but from those who whispered in his ear.

Because until we do, the Nyokayemabhunu story will not be the last. It is simply the latest chapter in a long book of political manipulation, betrayal, and fear. And yes a lot is at stake.