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ED Vultures Bay For VP Chiwenga\u2019s Head<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
By A Correspondent \u2014 Allies of President Emmerson Mnangagwa have intensified attacks on Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, exposing deepening factional tensions within ZANU-PF over succession and the future of the party beyond 2028.<\/p>\n
At the centre of the latest fallout are remarks made by Chiwenga during a sermon in Murewa on Saturday, which critics within the ruling party have seized upon as grounds to question his loyalty.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a Roman Catholic church service, Chiwenga reflected on the biblical story of King Hezekiah, who, after being told by the Prophet Isaiah that his life was ending, prayed for more time and was granted an additional 15 years. He warned that the extra years brought unforeseen consequences\u2014comments widely interpreted in political circles as a veiled caution against attempts to extend presidential tenure beyond constitutional limits.<\/p>\n
The remarks come at a time when ZANU-PF is grappling with internal debate over constitutional changes and succession, including efforts by some factions to extend Mnangagwa\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, a key figure aligned to the pro-extension camp, quickly moved to counter Chiwenga\u2019s message. Speaking at a party event, Garwe dismissed the Vice President\u2019s interpretation of scripture.<\/p>\n
\u201cHezekiah did not beg for more years to rule, but he begged for more years of life,\u201d Garwe said.
\u201cWe should pray for our leader to be granted more life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garwe is associated with proponents of \u201cResolution Number One,\u201d a controversial proposal seeking to extend Mnangagwa\u2019s leadership beyond 2028. Following the circulation of Chiwenga\u2019s sermon, voices within this faction have escalated their attacks, with some calling for the Vice President\u2019s resignation, accusing him of undermining the President.<\/p>\n
The public exchange underscores long-standing succession battles within ZANU-PF, which date back to the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d\u2019\u00e9tat that removed former leader Robert Mugabe. That transition brought Mnangagwa to power with military backing led by Chiwenga, who has since been viewed as a central figure in the party\u2019s unresolved succession matrix.<\/p>\n
Since then, ZANU-PF has remained divided between factions aligned to Mnangagwa and those seen as sympathetic to Chiwenga, with tensions increasingly surfacing through coded public statements, policy disputes, and competing claims of loyalty.<\/p>\n
Sources within the ruling party say Chiwenga is opposed to Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, which seeks to extend Mnangagwa\u2019s tenure and could effectively block his own path to the presidency\u2014further sharpening the stakes in an already volatile succession battle.<\/p>\n
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