ZANU PF HARARE PROVINCE SEEKS TO SHUT DOWN CHIWENGA PRESIDENCY BID?
Harare — The battle for the future leadership of ZANU PF appears to be gathering momentum, with the party’s Harare Province adopting resolutions that could have significant implications for Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s reported ambitions to lead the ruling party and possibly the country after Mnangagwa’s rule.
The province has resolved that the ZANU PF National People’s Congress, originally expected in 2027, should be postponed to 2030, in line with the country’s new seven-year electoral cycle.
More significantly, Harare Province has unequivocally endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain both President and First Secretary of ZANU PF and to be its preferred candidate for the top party position at the next Congress in 2030.
Speaking at a ZANU PF inter-district meeting ahead of the party’s annual conference, provincial chairman Godwills Masimirembwa said:
“We have resolved that until the next congress he remains President and First Secretary of the party and at that congress he will be our nominee as party leader.”
The resolution comes at a politically sensitive time within ZANU PF, amid speculation over the succession battle and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s political ambitions.
IS THIS A MOVE AGAINST CHIWENGA?
In my analysis, the Harare resolution should not be viewed simply as an administrative proposal to align the ZANU PF constitution with the national Constitution.
It could also be interpreted as a strategic political move to close the door on Chiwenga’s ambitions to take over the leadership of ZANU PF.
If the party Congress is indeed pushed from 2027 to 2030 and Mnangagwa is formally endorsed to remain First Secretary until then, any attempt to change the party leadership at an earlier Congress would effectively be taken off the table.
This becomes particularly significant given the speculation surrounding the December leadership contest and Chiwenga’s possible interest in becoming ZANU PF’s First Secretary.
The political message coming from Harare Province appears to be clear: Mnangagwa should remain in charge, and the succession question should not be opened before 2030.
Whether this ultimately succeeds in stopping Chiwenga’s ambitions remains to be seen. However, the resolution demonstrates that the battle over who controls ZANU PF after Mnangagwa is already becoming an increasingly important political question.
HARARE BACKS MNANGAGWA
The province’s position was adopted during a Provincial Inter-District meeting and subsequently endorsed by the Provincial Coordinating Committee, bringing together party leaders and grassroots members.
Among the resolutions was a call for the ZANU PF constitution to be reviewed and aligned, where necessary, with the Constitution of Zimbabwe as amended.
The province said the proposed alignment would promote constitutional harmony, institutional consistency, stability and continuity.
It also called for the expeditious implementation of Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 in accordance with the Constitution, applicable legislation and established party procedures.
ZANU PF Secretary for Education, Research and Ideology Charles Tawengwa welcomed the resolutions, saying the provincial structures had supported the recently enacted Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3.
He said the resolutions were intended to support the country’s development agenda and the attainment of National Vision 2030.
THE SUCCESSION BATTLE LOOMS
The latest development adds another layer to the increasingly important question of who will eventually succeed Mnangagwa as leader of ZANU PF.
For Chiwenga and his supporters, a postponement of the Congress would potentially mean waiting several more years before an opportunity arises to formally challenge for the party’s top position.
For Mnangagwa’s camp, however, the Harare resolution represents an important endorsement of continuity and could strengthen the President’s position within the party.
The big question now is whether other ZANU PF provinces will follow Harare’s lead.
If more provinces endorse Mnangagwa and support moving the Congress to 2030, the political space for a Chiwenga leadership bid could become significantly narrower.
The coming ZANU PF conference in Chinhoyi will therefore be closely watched, as provincial resolutions are taken up for national consideration.
What may appear on paper to be a constitutional alignment exercise could, in reality, become one of the most consequential developments in ZANU PF’s succession politics.