HARARE – Presidential spokesman George Charamba has come under an unprecedented public attack from former Zanu PF MP Temba Mliswa, in a clash that lays bare growing tensions inside the ruling party — and a deepening propaganda war between rival factions jostling to shape President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s succession.
Mliswa, who has in recent months emerged as a vocal supporter of business magnate Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s political ambitions, accused Charamba of “betraying his principal” and sabotaging the president through “a lackadaisical and compromised approach” to defending Mnangagwa in the face of internal attacks.
In a lengthy social media post, Mliswa said Charamba — a long-serving presidential aide and Mnangagwa’s official spokesman — had a “history of betraying his principals”, citing his fallout with former first lady Grace Mugabe during the late Robert Mugabe’s final days in power and his later survival when others like Professor Jonathan Moyo fled into exile.
“The guy has a history for betraying his principals,” Mliswa wrote. “His latest conduct as presidential spokesperson, when the president came under siege, has been very telling and speaks of a compromised character. His lack of passion and initiative is a wilful removal of those factors to sabotage the president.”
Mliswa added that Charamba’s attempts to “act normal” while Mnangagwa was “facing internal attacks” betrayed his true loyalties.
“As it is, Professor Moyo is actually doing a better job from a propaganda perspective advancing the presidential cause more effectively,” he said.
Charamba hit back with characteristic venom, dismissing Mliswa as “a talkative nobody” and a “failed opposition figure” seeking relevance.
“I hardly have time for a failed opposition figure who seeks to play saviour to my principal or to Zanu PF which he is yet to re-join,” Charamba fumed.
“I will only take notice of his errant views when he becomes a member of Zanu PF or an MP after winning a seat in a free and fair contest. For now, he is a mere talkative nobody who has no lessons for me. You can advise him to go hang on a banana tree!”
The ferocity of the exchange — unusual between former party allies — reflects a widening communications and succession crisis within Zanu PF, as Mnangagwa’s camp struggles to contain factional messaging after last week’s Mutare conference, where vice president Constantino Chiwenga delivered a speech widely interpreted as a subtle challenge to Mnangagwa’s plans to extend his term beyond constitutional limits.
Charamba praised Chiwenga’s Mutare speech as “excellent” and “amazing.”
That did not sit well with figures in the Tagwirei-aligned camp, who have grown increasingly wary of Chiwenga’s rising profile and the prospect of him consolidating military and political backing ahead of Zanu PF’s elective congress expected in 2027.
Insiders say Mliswa’s tirade was less about Charamba’s performance and more about signalling loyalty to the business–political faction now openly lobbying for Mnangagwa to anoint Tagwirei as his preferred successor.
“The Tagwirei group sees Charamba as unreliable because he has maintained lines of communication with Chiwenga and other old-guard figures,” said one senior party official. “They think he’s too cautious and too clever by half — someone who wants to survive whoever wins, instead of fighting for their man.”
The episode has also highlighted growing disarray in the government’s communication machinery. Mliswa accused Charamba and information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana of “false humility” and ineffectiveness in defending the president against factional attacks, calling their approach “sabotage or selling out.”
“In a scenario where rivals have defrocked themselves of diplomacy, humility and etiquette in relation to the president, why does the president’s own defence retain false humility and continue delicately tiptoeing around?” he asked.
Tagwirei’s growing visibility — and his faction’s attempt to push Chiwenga to the margins — has created new loyalties and resentments in the information space, where Charamba, once the regime’s most disciplined propagandist, is increasingly seen as a liability by both camps.
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