A faction backing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa when his constitutional term ends in 2028 has emerged from the just-ended Zanu PF National People's Conference nursing deep political wounds.
The conference opened with a tense Politburo meeting at the ruling party's headquarters, which marked the start of an intensified onslaught by Mnangagwa's loyalists against Chiwenga's camp.
Zanu PF's Secretary for Legal Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, delivered a strongly worded response to Chiwenga, who had earlier expressed discontent over the alleged capture of the party by a clique of influential figures.
Ziyambi's statement effectively drew battle lines within the ruling party, setting the tone for the Mutare conference, where delegates resolved to amend the constitution to extend Mnangagwa's tenure, a major setback for Chiwenga's succession ambitions.
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Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya says it will take an extraordinary strategy for Chiwenga to recover from the political setback suffered at the just-ended Zanu PF conference.
"The tragedy is that Chiwenga himself has not said he has any interest in succeeding Emmerson Mnangagwa. There are people talking on his behalf, the Bombshell Gezas, but Chiwenga has not publicly expressed interest in higher office.
"However, from experience, we know that during the turbulence at the end of Robert Mugabe's rule, Mnangagwa never openly declared his ambitions to succeed Mugabe. He kept quiet and did most of his machinations behind the scenes.
"So we might be hearing a lot of noise about the Chiwenga faction, but we do not know what is happening in the background. His silence says a lot because it would be unwise for him to speak openly about it now, whatever plans he may have. But from where I stand, given the mandate and legitimacy Mnangagwa enjoys within Zanu PF, it would take a miracle for Chiwenga to recover from this," said Ngwenya.
Zanu PF is reportedly preparing a constitutional amendment in Parliament to allow President Mnangagwa to remain in power beyond the 2028 elections.
However, the ruling party faces major legal hurdles, including Section 91(2), which bars a president from seeking a third term, and Section 328(7), which prohibits an incumbent from benefiting from a constitutional amendment enacted during their tenure.
A leaked dossier, allegedly authored by Chiwenga, claims that Zanu PF intends to smuggle a document titled Breaking Barriers Initiative (BBI) into Parliament to suspend elections and extend both the president's and the legislature's terms.
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Ngwenya, however, dismissed the document's credibility, which is said to be linked to self-imposed CCC Secretary General, Sengezo Tshabangu.
"BBI is moribund because it tinkers with the illusion that you can simply change the constitution to achieve anything. My assumption is that not everyone within Zanu PF supports this agenda.
"They might not say it publicly, but it's naïve to assume that if this matter goes to Parliament, it would automatically pass. BBI is just an academic document," Ngwenya said.
