Mutsvangwa blames Geza’s fallout with Mnangagwa on ill health

Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has attributed late liberation war veteran Blessed Geza’s public fallout with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declining health, saying the ruling party and war veterans will push for him to be accorded liberation war hero status.Geza, who died on February 6, 2026, while in hiding in South Africa, broke ranks with Zanu-PF last year and openly demanded Mnangagwa’s immediate resignation. He accused the president of presiding over a corrupt system captured by powerful business interests and threw his weight behind Vice President Constantino Chiwenga amid Zanu-PF’s long-running succession battles.His campaign included calls for two nationwide shutdowns, which triggered a heavy security response, forcing him into hiding as state agents reportedly pursued him. From exile, Geza continued his activism through YouTube broadcasts addressed to “fellow Zimbabweans,” urging citizens to challenge Mnangagwa’s government and blaming what he termed zvigananda—cartels—for Zimbabwe’s economic decline.Speaking to The Daily News, Mutsvangwa said Geza’s actions should be understood in the context of his health challenges and alleged manipulation by political actors linked to the now-defunct Generation 40 (G40) faction associated with the late former president Robert Mugabe.”Both the party and war veterans feel that he is a comrade who faltered at the last mile.

We blame this on the fact that Geza was no longer well,” Mutsvangwa said.”He was thus not thinking properly, which made him vulnerable to people who want to steal the history of the people of Zimbabwe.”Mutsvangwa said despite Geza’s recent political stance, the ruling party and liberation war veterans had decided to “embrace him back,” insisting that his role in the liberation struggle should not be erased.”We embrace him back. As Zanu-PF and war veterans, we say your history will not change despite what happened recently,” he said.”He deserves a decent burial and war veterans will push for him to retain his national liberation war status. It cannot be taken away from him.”Geza’s whereabouts remained unknown for months before his death, amid unsubstantiated rumours that he was under military protection.

Speculation has also persisted over divisions within the state, particularly in relation to succession politics involving Chiwenga, although these claims have never been officially confirmed.Mutsvangwa alleged that Geza had been targeted and exploited by political forces seeking to undermine Zanu-PF from within and outside the country.”They wanted to steal him from fellow comrades. It’s theft of history, and Zanu is totally against theft of history,” he said.”Why couldn’t the G40s and other such groups identify anybody else whom they could make a deal with and abuse? Why go for somebody who fought a liberation war?”Details surrounding Geza’s burial arrangements have not yet been made public, although discussions are reportedly ongoing regarding the status and honours to be accorded to him.

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