Security sources revealed that the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) advised Mnangagwa against travelling, warning that his closest allies risked arrest in his absence and that leaving the country could expose his camp to crippling blows from within the party and state security apparatus. The fears of a coup have been fuelled by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who recently presented a damning anti-corruption dossier accusing Mnangagwa’s allies of looting billions of dollars. The dossier singled out businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, widely believed to be Mnangagwa’s preferred successor, and has shaken the ruling party’s upper echelons, deepening mistrust between rival factions.
In a swift response to the growing threat, Mnangagwa fired Zanu PF’s secretary-general, Obert Mpofu, a long-standing ally of Chiwenga, and replaced him with loyalist Jacob Mudenda, the Speaker of Parliament. Mpofu was demoted to the largely symbolic post of Secretary for ICT—a move analysts view as a direct attempt to paralyse Chiwenga’s influence within the party. The purge of Mpofu is only the latest in a string of moves that highlight the widening gulf between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga.
Once allies during the 2017 coup that toppled Robert Mugabe, the two men are now bitter rivals, each positioning himself and his allies for control of the state after Mnangagwa. For Chiwenga, who played a decisive role in bringing Mnangagwa to power, the systematic sidelining of his loyalists represents both personal frustration and political humiliation. Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa confirmed further Politburo changes that consolidate Mnangagwa’s grip: These changes cement Mnangagwa’s control over key strategic levers within Zanu PF while further isolating Chiwenga’s allies. But they also revive memories of the factional chaos that led to Mugabe’s downfall in 2017.
