Zanu PF politburo meeting abandoned amid claims Chiwenga blocked Mnangagwa’s party constitution changes

A crucial Zanu PF politburo meeting scheduled for Friday afternoon was abandoned after senior officials had gathered at the party’s headquarters in Harare, triggering fresh claims of an escalating confrontation between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

The meeting was reportedly expected to consider amendments to the Zanu PF constitution before the party’s 23rd National People’s Conference, which runs from October 12 to 17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology.

Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa confirmed the postponement but attributed it to competing engagements.

“There was a clash or an overflow of programmes, and the meeting was postponed,” he said.

Party information director Farai Marapira offered a similar explanation, saying there had been a “clash of programmes” and insisting that it was “nothing serious”.

However, The NewsHawks and ZimLive reported that politburo members were already seated when the meeting was called off, before Mnangagwa had joined them.

A senior Zanu PF source quoted by ZimLive rejected the official explanation, arguing that a politburo meeting would ordinarily take precedence over other party engagements.

*Chiwenga accused of blocking amendments*

The NewsHawks reported that the meeting was abandoned because of resistance from Chiwenga to proposed changes intended to align the Zanu PF constitution with Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 3.

Political activist Jealousy Mawarire published a more detailed but unverified account alleging that Chiwenga demanded to inspect draft party amendments being handled by Zanu PF secretary-general Jacob Mudenda before Mnangagwa entered the meeting.

According to Mawarire, Chiwenga argued in front of other politburo members that changes to the national Constitution had not originated from the people and should not be used as the basis for altering the ruling party’s constitution.

He further alleged that when Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the national amendments had arisen from Zanu PF conference resolutions, Chiwenga demanded that he produce the specific resolutions authorising each change.

Mawarire claimed that Chiwenga then instructed Mudenda to inform Mnangagwa that the proposed amendments would not be discussed. Mnangagwa allegedly abandoned the meeting after Mudenda reported back to him.

Nehanda Radio could not independently verify Mawarire’s account, and neither Mnangagwa nor Chiwenga had publicly commented on the allegations.

*Mliswa disputes Chiwenga narrative*

Former Norton MP Temba Mliswa, an ally of Mnangagwa, dismissed Mawarire’s version as “absolute lies” and promised to publish what he described as the correct account in a video on Saturday.

Mliswa said the cancellation had “nothing to do with VP Chiwenga” and accused unnamed figures of forcing every internal Zanu PF disagreement into a succession narrative.

He also criticised party members allegedly resisting what he called legitimate resolutions and warned against allowing people with “unbridled ambitions” to derail the process.

The conflicting versions leave the precise cause of the cancellation unresolved. What has been officially confirmed is that the meeting was postponed because of what Zanu PF described as competing programmes.

*War veterans oppose party changes*

ZimLive reported that a document circulated to journalists on Thursday, purportedly written by unnamed war veterans, warned that anyone pushing to amend the Zanu PF constitution should admit that they were no longer loyal to the party.

Retired Air Marshal Henry Muchena told the publication that he had seen the document and supported its contents.

The document reportedly argues that any amendment must originate within the party’s lower structures before eventually reaching the politburo, rather than being imposed from the top.

The dispute follows Mnangagwa’s signing of Constitutional Amendment No. 3 in July.

The law extended presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, postponed elections originally expected in 2028 until 2030 and replaced direct presidential elections with selection by Parliament.

Critics describe the changes as an unconstitutional attempt to prolong Mnangagwa’s rule, while supporters say they provide continuity and sufficient time to complete development programmes under Vision 2030.

*Tagwirei appointment enters succession debate*

Commentator Gerrard Anko Ged Belts added another unverified dimension, claiming that Chiwenga was also challenging Mnangagwa over the appointment of businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei to the Cabinet.

He alleged that a meeting between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga over the dispute had been scheduled for Monday. No official source had confirmed the claim.

Friday’s aborted meeting has nevertheless increased attention on Zanu PF’s annual conference, where the party’s constitution and Mnangagwa’s continued leadership could become major battlegrounds.

The increasingly public disputes have also drawn comparisons with the internal Zanu PF conflict which preceded the military intervention that removed Robert Mugabe in November 2017. *_-Nehanda Radio_*