HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has finally addressed the conspicuous absence of both Vice Presidents, Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, from a critical Politburo meeting held last week – but the official explanation is doing little to calm mounting speculation about a deepening internal power struggle.
In a rare public statement, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the two vice presidents were absent from the February 20 Politburo session due to ‘previously scheduled engagements’ and dismissed rumours of a rift. However, multiple party insiders and political analysts say the absence of the country’s two most senior officials from a meeting that discussed the party’s candidate selection process ahead of the 2028 elections is highly unusual and points to intensifying factional battles at the top of the party.
A Party in Two Camps
The Politburo meeting was convened to finalise the party’s electoral strategy, including the controversial ‘no primary elections’ resolution that would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to hand-pick candidates. Both Chiwenga and Mohadi are seen as leaders of competing factions within the party, with Chiwenga – a former army general who led the 2017 coup that ousted Robert Mugabe – widely considered the frontrunner to succeed Mnangagwa. Mohadi, a former State Security minister, commands a smaller but loyalist faction that has traditionally supported Mnangagwa.
‘The absence of both vice presidents from a meeting where such a contentious issue was under discussion is not a coincidence,’ said a Zimbabwe-based political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. ‘It indicates that the succession battle within Zanu-PF is no longer a hidden debate; it is now playing out in real time through attendance and non-attendance at party structures.’
Geopolitical Stakes for Southern Africa
The internal machinations in Zanu-PF extend far beyond party politics. Zimbabwe remains a pivotal player in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), especially as the region grapples with the fallout from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado insurgency, the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and an ailing South African economy. A chaotic succession in Zimbabwe would destabilise the entire region.
