The ZANU PF feud over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s potential third term continues to intensify, with Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi publicly criticizing his counterpart, Patrick Chinamasa as a “lost lawyer” with a hidden agenda.
Ziyambi questioned Chinamasa’s motives for seeking Mnangagwa’s views on extending his presidency beyond 2030.
During a poorly attended ZANU PF Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting in Mashonaland West, Ziyambi emphasized that Chinamasa’s role was to read party resolutions, not seek the President’s views.
This exchange occurred after a war veteran requested clarity on the “2030 VaMnangagwa vanenge vachitonga” slogan, despite Mnangagwa’s stated commitment to leaving office in 2028.
“I want to know why we are continuing with this 2030 slogan when Cde Chinamasa clearly expressed President’s views on the matter at our conference.
“This push will need us to go for a referendum which chances are high we will lose,” a war veteran league member identified as Masenda reportedly told the meeting
In response Ziyambi told the meeting that Chinamasa had no one’s blessing to ask the President’s view on the 2030 issue as the matter was not with the president but with the majority.
“He was totally wrong and I wonder as a learned lawyer how he ended up going to ask the President’s views, just like in 2017 it was not President Mnangagwa who said he wanted to be president but it was the people who made him to be president” Ziyambi said.
Ziyambi’s criticism may be part of a larger power struggle, with some members accusing him and party chairperson in the province Mary Mliswa of pushing for Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to take over.
A senior ZANU PF member revealed that the meeting’s low attendance was a result of members refusing to be used by Ziyambi and Mliswa, who are perceived as pretending to support Mnangagwa while secretly backing Chiwenga.
“The reason most people including war veterans and youth league leaders as well as women’s league chairwoman didn’t attend the meeting is that they know these two antics who want to use people and hide as if they are supporting Mnangagwa whilst in fact they are secretly canvassing for Vice President Chiwenga to take over” the senior party member and former minister told Nehanda Radio with the promise to reveal and avail more evidence on the issue if his name remained anonymous.
Ziyambi told the meeting that he is monitoring events after censoring a war veteran identified as Cde Geza who recently made waves on social media platforms where he expressed outrage on how the president appointed “election losing” people to cabinet like Ziyambi.
The “2030” debate has sparked tensions within ZANU PF, with some members fearing repercussions for supporting or opposing Mnangagwa’s potential term extension.
As the party’s internal divisions deepen, Zimbabwe’s political landscape hangs in the balance.
During the meeting Ziyambi had to beg a few war veterans to stay, after they wanted to walk away from the meeting over the 2030 issue.
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