… as Mutsvangwa launches scathing attacks on Chiwenga
Brighton Chiseva
The internal power struggle within Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party escalated dramatically on Thursday as national spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa launched a blistering attack on Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, accusing him of attempting to create a ‘kangaroo court’ within the party and linking him to historical attempts to undermine President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership.
Mutsvangwa’s press conference came amid circulating competing dossiers from the Mnangagwa and Chiwenga camps that have exposed deep divisions threatening party unity.
The confrontation centers on two key documents: Chiwenga’s dossier accuses Mnangagwa’s allies of state capture and looting US$3.2 billion, while secretary for legal affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi’s rebuttal describes the allegations as “reckless, malicious and treasonous.
Mutsvangwa squarely placed responsibility for the political crisis on Chiwenga, stating the Vice President had acted alone in preparing the controversial dossier presented to the politburo on September 17.
“In the meeting, other members of the presidium were asked if they were aware of the dossier but they denied knowledge of it. This means other members were simply dragged in and it boomeranged on Chiwenga,” said Mutsvangwa.
“The Vice President wanted to try the person who appointed him. There are professional organizations that deal with corruption, so if it’s about corruption he was supposed to report it there, not turning the politburo into a kangaroo court,” he said.
The spokesperson dismissed the Chiwenga dossier as lacking substance, claiming it was motivated by personal ambition rather than genuine concern about corruption. He went on to invoke liberation war credentials in his attack.
“The document was debunked, there was nothing in it. It was an attempt to turn the politburo into an oligarchy. He just believes he has to rule Zimbabwe. We tell him, he was at the wrong address during the war. He only joined us when we were returning. Being a general means nothing, its just that some decided to remain in the army while we left after the liberations struggle, if I had remained I could have made a better general,” said Mutsvangwa said,.
In a significant escalation, Mutsvangwa suggested the conflict stemmed from a personal fallout between Chiwenga and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, whom the dossier had accused of corruption.
“Chiwenga and Tagwirei were very good friends until they had a fall out. He’s now using that fallout to accuse Tagwirei and others of corruption. They were close and I was once a victim of their friendship when I was the special advisor to the president after I talked about Sakunda,” he said.
The spokesperson further intensified his allegations by indirectly connecting Chiwenga to the 2018 White City bombing attempt on Mnangagwa’s life, describing it as an inside job done by someone who was close to the top.
Mutsvangwa elaborated on what he characterized as long-standing opposition to Mnangagwa’s leadership saying they did not want him to succeed Mugabe but they failed now they were trying to end his rule.
Addressing calls for stay-away protests, Mutsvangwa told journalists to ignore war veteran Blessed Geza and urged them to go to Mutare for the Zanu PF annual congress saying that’s where all the drama was going to be.
“There will be nothing in Harare. If you stay here you will lose the drama in Mutare,” SAID Mutsvangwa.
The public confrontation signals that the long-simmering cold war between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga has now erupted into open conflict, with both camps preparing for what promises to be a decisive party congress.
The internal power struggle within Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party is set to intensify at the annual conference, where the party is expected to push for ‘Resolution Number One’ to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond 2028.
This agenda, often referred to as the “2030 Agenda, is a central point of contention with Vice Chiwenga, who views it as a direct move to block him from taking over power in 2028
