President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s loyalists are burning the midnight oil plotting changes to the new constitution and Zanu PF’s leadership structure amid a stark warning that the moves could destroy the ruling party and lead to national unrest.
According to a leaked internal security report, the Zanu PF group now known as the Zvigananda faction wants to use the ruling party’s resolution to extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 to eliminate Vice President Constantino Chiwenga from the succession race.
The group is said to favour businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei to take over from the 82 year-old ruler.
Mnangagwa has on more than five occasions said he does not want to stay in power beyond 2028 when his second and final term comes to an end, but this has not stopped his loyalists from pushing the divisive 2030 agenda.
The 2030 campaign, however, seemed to have taken a backseat after expelled Zanu PF central committee member Blessed Geza started calling for Mnangagwa’s resignation.
Geza accused the Zanu PF leader of failing to stop corruption, nepotism and misgovernance.
Chiwenga’s fiery speeches against businessmen that have grown wealthy from corrupt government contracts, whom he described as zviganandas, also seemed to have put the faction on the back foot, but the leaked intelligence report says the 2030 campaign is back in full swing.
Its backers are allegedly exploring legal means to change the constitution to make it easy for the term extension to be implemented without going through a referendum.
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If the manoeuvres succeed, Chiwenga would be replaced by Tagwirei while speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda will replace Vice President Kembo Mohadi.
Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi will become speaker of Parliament and attorney general Virginia Mabhiza will take over from the minister, the report says.
“They are now determined to push through this agenda through inciting a destabilisation act, which will then be followed by legal manipulation of the constitution and underpinned by state resource exploitation,” reads part of the report
“We now believe that immediate Zanu PF intervention is critical to avert constitutional collapse, mass unrest, and irreversible damage to Zanu PF's legitimacy.”
Mnangagwa rose to power after the intervention of the military in November 2017 following allegations that the late Robert Mugabe had violated the constitution by entrusting unelected members to run government business, referring to his wife, former first lady Grace Mugabe.
The latest report says the 2030 agenda poses a great danger to Zanu PF.
“The revived 2030 bid represents an existential threat to Zanu PF’s survival, his liberation legacy and certain key members of leadership of the party and the stability of the country,” the report added.
The report warned that the proposed manipulation of the constitution could split Zanu PF, leading to potential civil war, nationwide protests and possible military fracture or possible assassinations.
It claimed that internal Zanu PF polls had shown that Mnangagwa’s approval ratings were as low as 20%.
The report said alienating Chiwenga could provoke the military, and spark economic collapse and regional destabilisation.
“Our intelligence has confirmed that advisors to President Mangagwa have warned him on the high risk of facing a constitutional referendum due to his growing unpopularity as a result of him presiding over massive grand looting and corruption and they have estimated his rejection rate from the Zimbabwean people to be around 70-80%,” the report says.
Zanu PF is supposed to select its next leader at its congress in 2027, but the 2030 agenda could torpedo the whole process.
