HARARE – Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has issued a stark warning to the Zanu PF politburo that proceeding with Constitutional Amendment No. 3 without a referendum poses serious political risks, laying bare a widening fracture within the ruling party’s inner circle.
Chiwenga, the former military commander who masterminded the 2017 coup that swept President Emmerson Mnangagwa to power, has reportedly been embroiled in a series of tense exchanges with presidential loyalists over the bill, which would extend Mnangagwa’s rule beyond his constitutionally mandated two-term limit.
At last week’s politburo meeting, sources described the friction boiling over into a “fierce confrontation” between Chiwenga and state security minister Lovemore Matuke. The clash was triggered when Chiwenga insisted that any revision to presidential term limits must go to a national referendum – a position squarely at odds with the direction being pushed by Mnangagwa’s camp.
Matuke rounded on the VP, accusing unnamed individuals of “contradicting the party position,” The Standard reported on Sunday.
Chiwenga did not back down, and the standoff drew in defence minister Oppah Muchunguri and Zanu PF commissar Munyaradzi Machacha, who sided with Matuke.
Chiwenga reminded the room of his credentials, telling 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 characterised the “2030 agenda” – the push to keep Mnangagwa in power past his term limit – as an “assault on the values of the liberation struggle,” driven by individuals bent on “looting the country’s resources.”
Mnangagwa appeared to fire back the following day, using a central committee address to denounce what he called “malcontents” pursuing “self-serving agendas.”
Political analysts view the amendment push as a deliberate effort to neutralise Chiwenga’s own presidential ambitions.
As parliament-led public hearings on the bill get underway this week, Zanu PF has reportedly deployed significant state resources to build the appearance of popular support.
In Mhondoro-Mubaira, presidential adviser Paul Tungwarara was observed handing out cash, bicycles, and food hampers at a rally backing the amendment.
Civil society leaders have alleged selective policing, with authorities accused of blocking meetings organised by anti-amendment groups while permitting pro-government gatherings to proceed unhindered.
With tensions rising, opposition figures warned the situation could spill onto the streets.
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