Tuesday 31 March 2026
Zim GBC News | Political Correspondent
HARARE – A widening fracture within Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF party has burst into the open, with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga warning the politburo that proceeding with Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 without a referendum carries serious political risks, sources have revealed.
The former military commander, who led the 2017 operation that brought President Emmerson Mnangagwa to power, has been locked in a series of tense exchanges with presidential loyalists over the proposed legislation, which critics say is designed to extend Mnangagwa’s rule beyond the constitutionally mandated two-term limit.
At last week’s politburo meeting, sources described a “fierce confrontation” between Chiwenga and State Security Minister Lovemore Matuke. The clash erupted when Chiwenga insisted that any revision to presidential term limits must be subjected to a national referendum—a position that squarely contradicts the direction being pursued by Mnangagwa’s camp.
According to The Standard, Matuke rounded on the vice president, accusing unnamed individuals of “contradicting the party position.”
Chiwenga refused to back down, drawing in Defence Minister Oppah Muchunguri and Zanu PF Commissar Munyaradzi Machacha, who sided with Matuke. In a pointed reminder of his standing within the party, Chiwenga told those present that he is a general who fought to liberate the country “while others sought refuge elsewhere to avoid participating in the liberation struggle.”
The politburo clash followed remarks Chiwenga made at the funeral of the late Kumbirai Kangai’s wife, where he invoked the principle of “one man, one vote”—widely interpreted as a veiled rebuke of the amendment drive.
He has previously characterized the “2030 agenda”—the push to keep Mnangagwa in power beyond his term limit—as an “assault on the values of the liberation struggle,” driven by individuals bent on “looting the country’s resources.”
President Mnangagwa appeared to respond the following day during a central committee address, denouncing what he called “malcontents” pursuing “self-serving agendas.”
Political analysts view the amendment push as a deliberate effort to neutralize Chiwenga’s own presidential ambitions, with tensions between the two factions now spilling into public view.
As parliament-led public hearings on the bill commenced this week, Zanu PF has reportedly deployed significant state resources to manufacture the appearance of popular support. In Mhondoro-Mubaira, presidential adviser Paul Tungwarara was observed distributing cash, bicycles, and food hampers at a rally backing the amendment.
Civil society leaders have alleged selective policing, accusing authorities of blocking meetings organized by anti-amendment groups while permitting pro-government gatherings to proceed unhindered.
With tensions rising within both the ruling party and the broader populace, opposition figures have warned that the situation could spill onto the streets.
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