By A Correspondent – Zanu PF has announced the formal co-option of businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, alongside Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Polite Kambamura, Christine Gwati, Joseph Serima, and Collen Ndebele, into the party’s powerful Central Committee Kambamura was recommended for co-option by Mashonaland West province, while Gwati, Serima, and Ndebele were put forward by Matabeleland North Tagwirei was recommended by Harare province Zanu PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Patrick Chinamasa confirmed the development, saying the Politburo endorsed the recommendations from the three provinces at its 385th Ordinary Session on July 30, 2025
The new members are expected to be formally adopted by the Central Committee at its next meeting Harare Province’s decision to recommend Tagwirei was made at its Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting on March 31, 2025, after which the letter of recommendation was sent to the party leadership The National Political Commissar, Munyaradzi Machacha, tabled the recommendation at the Politburo’s 384th Ordinary Session on July 2, 2025 The proposal was approved without objection, pending formal adoption
Tagwirei’s co-option has been one of the most debated internal party issues this year The controversial fuel tycoon—often accused by critics of wielding disproportionate political influence through his vast business empire—was initially sidelined in earlier Central Committee appointments His close ties to President Emmerson Mnangagwa have long been a source of factional tension within Zanu PF, with some members seeing his rise as an attempt to consolidate Mnangagwa’s inner circle ahead of the party’s next elective congress Dissenting voices within the party had reportedly lobbied to block his inclusion, citing concerns over the optics of appointing a businessman whose wealth and government contracts have drawn both local and international scrutiny
However, his eventual co-option suggests Mnangagwa’s faction was able to overcome resistance, signalling a possible shift in the balance of power within the party Chinamasa said the July 30 Politburo meeting also confirmed the co-options of Kambamura, Gwati, Serima, and Ndebele.
Source: Zimeye
