Zanu PF's Obert Mpofu was removed from his influential position as the ruling party Secretary General amid suspicions he had knowledge of the origins of a corruption dossier recently tabled before the politburo.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa reassigned Mpofu to the relatively minor post of Secretary for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a politburo reshuffle announced this week.
Zanu-PF's politburo is the party's highest decision-making body, and its resolutions are binding.
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According to Zanu PF activist Tonderai Chidawa, Mpofu's demotion reflects concerns within the party over his leadership and his possible ties to the dossier that implicated senior officials in corruption.
Chidawa alleges Mpofu failed to unite the party, whose membership, he claims, is fragmented.
Mpofu was replaced by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, who previously served as Treasurer General.
Speaking to a local online TV channel, Chidawa said, "He (Mpofu) was failing to unite the party. The party is disintegrated."
Chidawa further questioned why Mpofu's name was absent from the dossier, suggesting this as evidence that Mpofu had an idea of its source.
"Why is his name not being mentioned in the dossier?"
On Monday, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa stated that the politburo did not discuss the dossier at length, claiming its originator was unknown but believed to be based in South Africa.
The dossier, which Mutsvangwa said the politburo barely acknowledged, included names such as controversial business tycoons Wicknell Chivayo and Kudakwashe Tagwirei. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga reportedly questioned Mnangagwa as to why those named as corrupt had not been arrested.
Chidawa also claimed that Zanu PF's grassroots support in the Matebeleland Provinces erupted in celebration upon hearing news of Mpofu's demotion.
"People are celebrating. There are celebrations in Matebeleland. We are talking of the downfall of a man who owns many big buildings in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls," he said.
The Zanu PF succession war is reaching a new crescendo as factions aligned to Mnangagwa and Chiwenga vie for power.
