Chiwenga Bombshell at Zanu PF Conference: “Are We Sliding Back to the Mistakes That Toppled Mugabe?”
CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe — Vice President Constantino Chiwenga on Friday questioned whether Zanu PF had slid back into the conditions that preceded the 2017 ouster of longtime leader Robert Mugabe, while calling for a “brutal and honest self-appraisal” of whether the party’s resolutions genuinely reflect the will of its grassroots members.
Speaking at the ruling party’s 23rd National People’s Conference at Chinhoyi University of Technology in Mashonaland West Province, Chiwenga linked the party’s founding of the “Second Republic” after Mugabe’s removal to a need to avoid repeating past errors.
“The Second Republic came about to correct the mistakes of the past. Are we not repeating the same mistakes…” he said, according to video footage and contemporaneous reports of the address.
He continued: “This beckons us to a brutal and honest self-appraisal. We must ask ourselves the difficult questions and confront uncomfortable realities. Are our resolutions truly coming from the people? Do our conferences authentically capture the voices of the grassroots? Do we truly understand the aspirations of our people? More importantly, how should we walk our talk this time around to serve our people better?”
Chiwenga emphasised that Zanu PF’s strength has always come from ordinary Zimbabweans. “The strength of Zanu PF has always emanated from the people. Our party is a people’s party, forged through the sweat, toil, and blood of the masses,” he said.
The conference, themed “From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Economic Empowerment Towards Vision 2030,” opened formally on Friday and is scheduled to run through the weekend. It follows recent Central Committee and Politburo meetings in Harare and comes amid internal debates over proposed amendments to the party constitution.
Chiwenga, a retired general who played a central role in the 2017 military intervention that ended Mugabe’s 37-year rule and elevated Emmerson Mnangagwa to the presidency, delivered the remarks as one of the party’s two vice presidents and second secretaries. President Mnangagwa, the party’s first secretary, is also attending the gathering.
Video of portions of the speech circulated widely on social media shortly after delivery, including clips shared by Zimbabwean news outlets.