Categories: Stories

Relationships formed in army barracks could be key to ZANU-PF retaining power in Zimbabwe

If Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy‚ retired army general Constantino Chiwenga‚ were footballers they could be paralleled to Xavi and Iniesta‚ once teammates at Barcelona and the Spanish national team.

“They didn’t seize power to just hand it over‚” MDC Alliance’s Tendai Biti once told journalists.

Mnangagwa and Chiwenga know very well that they need to legitimise their reign and‚ as such‚ they are leaving no stone unturned on the campaign trail.

While Mnangagwa goes about his presidential duties‚ his deputy has been flying in a chopper from village to village drumming up support for the ruling party.

On average‚ he is addressing three rallies a day in rural areas which are historically ZANU-PF strongholds.

At a rally in Murewa‚ 75km north of Harare‚ on Thursday‚ Chiwenga narrated events that led to the resignation of Mugabe – before assuring party supporters that everything would come full circle when they vote for Mnangagwa.

He then moved on to lure voters with political mantras.

“We want to rehabilitate all clinics and hospitals to ensure that they are fully stocked with drugs and they are electrified‚ so our people do not walk for long distances to access healthcare‚” he said.

Chiwenga is not a novice when it comes to commissariat work. During the liberation war, under the name “Dominic Chinenge”, he was the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA)’s deputy political commissar.

According to WikiLeaks cables of 2011‚ some serving army generals at the time viewed Chiwenga as a “political general with little practical military experience”.

Continued next page

(1366 VIEWS)

Page: 1 2

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

View Comments

  • ZANU PF did their groundwork. However the imposition of some candidates may negatively affect some members of Parliament Ed's vote will not be affected. He heads for a convincing victory.

Recent Posts

Who propped whom: Masiyiwa vs Nyambirai?

A friend who knows about my legal battle with Zimbabwe’s richest man, Strive Masiyiwa, way…

May 1, 2026

Britain says amendment of the Zimbabwean Constitution is a sovereign, legislative matter for Zimbabwe to decide

Britain says amendment of the Zimbabwe constitution is a sovereign, legislative matter for Zimbabwe to…

March 24, 2026

Who started the war?

It is now 47 years since I wrote the short story below for a South…

March 4, 2026

Zimbabwe 2026 monetary policy statement at a glance

Zimbabwe has released its 2026 monetary policy statement in which it seeks to stabilise its…

March 1, 2026

Was Chombo Mugabe’s number two?

Far from it, on paper that is. Ignatius Chombo was one of the longest serving…

February 6, 2026

Zimbabwe’s 2026 citizen’s budget

Zimbabwe on Thursday announced a ZiG290.9 billion budget with revenue expected to be ZiG287.6 billion,…

November 30, 2025