Chiwenga throws presidential rival out of Zanu PF indaba

Prominent businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei was reportedly ejected from a ZANU PF Central Committee meeting held at the party's headquarters in Harare yesterday, following objections from senior party officials, including Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

Sources within the ruling party revealed that Tagwirei's attendance at the high-level meeting was premature, as his co-option into the Central Committee was still pending formal approval.

According to insiders, Chiwenga, who arrived at the venue before President Emmerson Mnangagwa, raised concerns about Tagwirei's presence and instructed officials to ask him to leave.

"Tagwirei tried to resist the officials, but he later left the meeting before President Mnangagwa addressed the gathering," a source told reporters. "He was recommended for co-option into the Central Committee by Harare province, but that recommendation is still awaiting approval. He should have waited for the process to be completed."

The incident has exposed simmering tensions within ZANU PF as factional undercurrents continue to shape party dynamics, particularly as the race to position successors ahead of Mnangagwa's expected exit in 2028 intensifies.

Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa used his address at the meeting to reprimand internal factions and overzealous supporters agitating for division and personal agendas. He urged party members to uphold discipline, unity, and constitutional order within the party.

"We are supposed to follow the party principles, not the interests of individuals or groups of people," said Mnangagwa. "We must never, as individuals or groups, guide our party towards personal or clique interests."

He stressed the importance of integrity among Central Committee members, saying: "You are expected to have the highest level of integrity, the highest level of discipline, and honour is expected of us all here."

The ZANU PF leader also sought to distance himself from a campaign by some party activists seeking to extend his stay in office beyond the constitutional two-term limit.

"Let us not be distracted by sideshows and narratives that feed the agenda of optimists bent on diverting us from the accelerated development, unity, and peace that is evident and currently prevailing in our country," Mnangagwa said.

He reiterated that the party's focus should remain on transforming the economy and uplifting the livelihoods of ordinary Zimbabweans, not on leadership wrangles.

Mnangagwa also praised the party's self-verification exercise and called for the development of a comprehensive electronic membership database. He urged greater inclusion of affiliate organisations, but warned that they must be ideologically grounded through training by the Chitepo School of Ideology and the party commissariat.

"This must now provide the framework for our internal democratic electoral processes in the lower tiers of the party," he said.

As the party gears up for future leadership transitions, the events surrounding Tagwirei's ejection and Mnangagwa's firm remarks highlight deepening tensions over succession and the direction of ZANU PF post-2028.