HARARE — President Emmerson Mnangagwa is moving to fire Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, according to senior ZANU-PF and government sources, as the long-running power struggle between the two men reaches a breaking point over Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).
Chiwenga, who appeared in full military uniform at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces handover ceremony in November 2025, has become the most visible obstacle to Mnangagwa’s “2030 agenda” — the push to extend the President’s rule beyond his constitutionally mandated 2028 exit date. His refusal to back CAB3, combined with his public anti-corruption crusade against “zviganda” elites, has left Mnangagwa’s camp with few options but to consider his removal.
Why the firing is on the table
Attorney-General Virginia Mabiza set the tone in May when she warned that Cabinet members must publicly support CAB3 or resign. The directive was widely read as aimed squarely at Chiwenga, whose opposition to the Bill has been consistent and, at times, defiant.
Sources say Mnangagwa has grown increasingly frustrated with Chiwenga’s absence from key party meetings, including a crucial ZANU-PF Politburo session where Oppah Muchinguri and Jacob Mudenda occupied the Vice-Presidents’ seats in his place. The President has reportedly reminded allies that he is the “appointing authority” and that no one — not even a former army general — is above his authority.
Chiwenga’s military signal
Chiwenga’s decision to appear in full Number One dress uniform at the ZDF command handover sent a powerful message. For the first time in eight years since becoming Vice-President, he wore his military regalia in public — medals, badges, ceremonial cords and all.
Political analysts interpreted the appearance as a deliberate reminder of who orchestrated the 2017 military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe and installed Mnangagwa. By stepping out in uniform, Chiwenga was signalling that the security establishment still views him as its authentic representative — a fact that makes any attempt to fire him extraordinarily risky.
What happens if Mnangagwa pulls the trigger
Political observers warn that firing Chiwenga now would not be a routine cabinet reshuffle. It would be a declaration of total war against the military faction that still backs the Vice-President.
Nehanda Radio reported in May that removing Chiwenga — especially to replace him with a civilian tycoon like Kudakwashe Tagwirei — could split the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, trigger a palace coup, or collapse ZANU-PF’s hegemony entirely. The 2017 coup succeeded because there was consensus on the target; today, there is no such agreement.
Chiwenga’s allies inside Parliament have already helped block CAB3 in the Senate, sending the Bill back for revision. His fight-back has emboldened opposition MPs and retired generals who share his view that the amendments betray Zimbabwe’s 2013 constitutional settlement.
The stakes for Zimbabwe
With CAB3 stalled and the succession question unresolved, Harare faces its most dangerous political moment since Operation Restore Legacy. Mnangagwa needs to assert control; Chiwenga needs to survive. Neither man can afford to blink first.
Party insiders say the President has already drafted disciplinary papers against Chiwenga for undermining government policy and failing to attend official functions. Whether those papers will be served — or whether Mnangagwa will blink at the last moment — remains the question keeping Zimbabwe on edge.
For now, the Crocodile and the General remain locked in a lethal embrace. Firing Chiwenga would be the ultimate gamble in a country where political transitions are never finished — they are only paused.
Sources: Foreign Policy Research Institute; Nehanda Radio; My Zimbabwe News; ZimEye.
