ZANU PF IN CHAOS OVER TAGWIREI’S SECRET ENTRY PLAN

Zanu PF is now fighting itself again. The party is divided because of a fight about how people are added into top positions. This big fight started after Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a rich businessman, was added into the Zanu PF Central Committee through what many people are calling the “back door.”

This has caused so much noise inside the ruling party. Some people in Zanu PF support Tagwirei because he is rich and owns many businesses. Others are angry and do not want him in the party structures. They say he is being sneaky and trying to take power quietly.

The argument is mainly about co-option. This is a process where members are added into a group or committee by other members. They do this without an election. They can just vote inside or agree by consensus.

Now Zanu PF wants to write a new circular to explain the co-option process clearly. The offices of national political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha and secretary-general Obert Mpofu are working on this circular. They are trying to fix the confusion caused by the Tagwirei issue.

Last week, the politburo, which is the top leadership group of Zanu PF, accepted Tagwirei into the Central Committee. This happened after Machacha gave a report and no one in the meeting opposed. Because of that, Tagwirei showed up for the Central Committee meeting the next day, Thursday.

But something shocking happened. Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga removed Tagwirei from the meeting. He said Tagwirei was not supposed to be there. Chiwenga and President Mnangagwa are already fighting over who should take over the party in the future. This is called a succession battle. Tagwirei is now seen as a threat by both sides, even though he says he is not interested in politics.

Two Zanu PF provinces, Harare and Masvingo, had already asked for Tagwirei to be added to the Central Committee. But they only wanted him because he is rich, not because of his political experience. In the end, Harare Province won and added his name. But Chiwenga stopped everything.

This has now made things worse. People do not know what the correct rules are. Zanu PF is now trying to fix this by reviewing the constitution and explaining the co-option process again.

Before 2022, Zanu PF’s constitution said that if a seat becomes empty, the position can be filled by co-option. But this rule did not apply to the Central Committee. If one-third of members left, then new elections had to be held.

After changes were made to the constitution in 2022, the new rule says a position in any party organ, even the Central Committee, can be filled by co-option within three months. If two people want the same seat, then the one with the most votes gets it. But if too many seats are empty, the organ is dissolved, and fresh elections must be done.

This is the part that has confused people. Tagwirei’s case is now being used to push the party to make the rules clearer. But it has already caused damage.

Some party leaders are angry that business people with money can enter the party and make decisions without having done the work of real politics.

This is not just about rules. It shows that Zanu PF is fighting from inside. The fight between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga is getting worse. And now with Tagwirei being used as a pawn in their fight, it will divide the party even more.

Machacha and Mpofu, the ones who are supposed to explain the process, are silent. They are not talking to the public. That silence says a lot.

Zanu PF is now a party where money speaks louder than anything else. The battle for power continues, and the people of Zimbabwe are the ones who suffer the most.