By A correspondent-The controversial co-option — or possible reversal of it — of businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei into the ZANU PF Central Committee has escalated internal tensions in the ruling party, drawing out fault lines among its top power brokers, including Patrick Chinamasa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and ZANU PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa Tagwirei, widely seen as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s closest business ally and financier, is now at the centre of a succession-linked power struggle that is increasingly pitting key figures in the party against each other Initially, ZANU PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Patrick Chinamasa had strongly defended Tagwirei’s co-option, declaring it “irreversibly settled.” But in a surprise move over the weekend, Chinamasa appeared to soften his stance Posting on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, he dismissed the uproar as a product of “misinformation and disinformation” driven by social media
Chinamasa maintained that the Harare Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) and the Politburo had properly followed party procedures in co-opting Tagwirei He wrote:
“The controversy surrounding Cde Tagwirei’s co-option into the Central Committee surprises me and took me completely off guard.Given Cde Tagwirei’s commitment to ZANU PF and his track record in the service of the Party, the negative publicity is undeserved.”
He further stressed that in his nearly four decades in the Central Committee and Politburo, recommendations from provincial structures had never been debated “We always treated such recommendations asfait accompli,” he asserted However, by Monday, Chinamasa’s post had vanished from his timeline — triggering speculation that he had been forced to retract it under pressure from senior party figures opposing Tagwirei’s elevation
In an unusual move, Chinamasa re-uploaded the same statement just after 2 AM on Tuesday, 5 August, fuelling speculation of intense behind-the-scenes wrangling Sources close to the matter say Chiwenga’s camp is adamantly opposed to Tagwirei’s growing political clout Tagwirei’s co-option is widely seen as part of Mnangagwa’s manoeuvres to position him as a potential successor — a role many within ZANU PF had long assumed was reserved for Chiwenga Mutsvangwa, who has previously taken veiled swipes at Tagwirei and criticised the “capture” of the party by business elites, is also believed to be part of the faction uneasy about the businessman’s increasing political influence
Source: Zimeye
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Source: Zimeye
