A serious political storm is growing inside Zanu PF. As President Emmerson Mnangagwa prepares for the party conference set for 13 to 18 October in Mutare, he is trapped. He must choose between pushing his dangerous 2030 agenda or stepping back and accepting the limits of the Constitution. This choice is not about the country. It is about power, fear, and survival.
Mnangagwa has three clear options before him. First, he can call for a referendum, or even two, to change the Constitution. This path risks a massive public rejection and national anger. Second, he can try to use Parliament to delay the 2028 election and force an illegal extension of his rule. Third, he can abandon the idea and leave office in 2028 as the Constitution demands.
In public, Mnangagwa says he will not stay beyond 2028. He calls himself a constitution follower. But Zimbabweans remember what happened last year in Bulawayo. Zanu PF passed a resolution allowing him to stay beyond his second term. That single act exposed his lies. He speaks one thing and does another. This is not leadership. It is deception.
The real reason behind this chaos is fear. Mnangagwa does not want his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, to take over. Chiwenga helped remove Robert Mugabe in 2017 and handed power to Mnangagwa. But today, trust between the two men is finished. Mnangagwa fears that Chiwenga will not protect him or his family once he leaves office. He fears losing wealth. He fears arrest. He fears accountability.
This fight is also about tribe. After decades of rule by Zezuru leaders, Mnangagwa’s Karanga faction believes it is their turn to dominate. They do not want another Zezuru president like Chiwenga. In Zimbabwe, ethnicity still decides who eats and who suffers. Zanu PF has never moved beyond this poison.
As tensions grow, new figures are entering the game. Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a powerful businessman close to Mnangagwa, has presidential dreams, even though he denies them. His supporters believe money can buy power. But Chiwenga has blocked him from joining the Zanu PF Central Committee, where real decisions are made.
Chris Mutsvangwa, the noisy party spokesperson, is also positioning himself. He claims he has no interest in the presidency, but his actions suggest otherwise. He smells weakness and opportunity inside a broken party.
In the background stands General Philip Valerio Sibanda, the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. He is quiet and strategic. Mnangagwa tried to push him into the politburo last December in Gweru but failed. Sibanda is expected to retire soon, and once that happens, he becomes politically available.
The old era of nationalist giants like Mugabe is finished. Mnangagwa belongs to a second tier that waited behind the scenes. Now power is moving to former fighters and generals. Chiwenga leads this group. Sibanda follows.
Zanu PF has been tearing itself apart since Mugabe was removed. It is now a party of fear, betrayal, and greed. As October approaches, the storm is ready to break.
For ordinary Zimbabweans, none of these power games bring hope. Prices keep rising. Jobs are gone. Hospitals have no medicine. Young people are running away from the country. While people suffer, Zanu PF leaders fight over positions and protection. This party has failed completely. It no longer governs. It survives through force, fear, and lies. The coming conference will not fix Zimbabwe. It will only expose how deep the rot has gone. Zanu PF is no longer united. It is scared of its own shadow. What we are seeing now is panic at the top. And when dictators panic, change is never far away. The people are watching and history judge them.