A Zanu PF member has weighed in on the reported tensions between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, declaring that anyone jealous of the President will never recover from their jealousy.
In a Facebook post, Tinotenda Chibage Nyamhandu wrote:
“UKARWADZWA NAPRESIDENT ED MNANGAGWA HAUPORE. The Zim Constitution & Zanu PF Constitution give President ED Mnangagwa authority to appoint or fire anyone. NGWENA INOITA SEYAKANYARARA ASI ICHIONA ZVAYO.”
The Shona statement means: “If you are jealous of President ED Mnangagwa, you will never recover from your jealousy.”
Nyamhandu's message also invokes the popular crocodile proverb, “Ngwena inoita seyakanyarara asi ichiona zvayo,” meaning that the crocodile may appear quiet, but it is watching everything.
The reference is to Mnangagwa's nickname, “Ngwena” (The Crocodile), and appears to suggest that the President should not be underestimated, even when he seems silent.
Although Nyamhandu did not explicitly name Chiwenga as the target of his remarks, the post has attracted attention amid growing speculation about divisions within Zanu PF over succession politics and proposed constitutional changes.
POLITBURO MEETING COLLAPSE FUELS SPECULATION
The remarks come after a Zanu PF politburo meeting scheduled for Friday at the party headquarters in Harare was abruptly abandoned after members had already gathered.
Party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa and information director Farai Marapira reportedly attributed the postponement to a “clash of programmes.”
However, reports in the private media suggested that resistance from Chiwenga to proposed amendments to the Zanu PF constitution may have contributed to the meeting's cancellation.
The proposed changes are reportedly intended to align the party constitution with Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 3, signed by Mnangagwa in July.
The national amendment proposes extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, shifting the next elections from 2028 to 2030 and replacing direct presidential elections with parliamentary selection.
Unverified accounts circulating online allege that Chiwenga demanded to see the draft party amendments and questioned whether the proposed national constitutional changes originated from the people.
These claims have not been independently verified, and neither Mnangagwa nor Chiwenga has publicly commented on the alleged confrontation.
Former Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has dismissed reports of a confrontation as “absolute lies.”
“THE PRESIDENT HAS THE POWER TO APPOINT OR FIRE ANYONE”
In his post, Nyamhandu went beyond the issue of jealousy, arguing that both the national Constitution and the Zanu PF constitution give Mnangagwa the authority to appoint or remove individuals from positions of power.
Under Zimbabwe's Constitution, the President appoints Vice Presidents and has the power to remove them from office. Within Zanu PF, Mnangagwa also serves as First Secretary and wields considerable influence over party appointments.
His comments come as the ruling party prepares for its 23rd National People's Conference, scheduled for October 12–17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, against the backdrop of increasingly intense debate over succession and the proposed extension of presidential terms.
Whether Nyamhandu's remarks were specifically aimed at Chiwenga remains unclear. Nevertheless, the timing has added another voice to the growing public debate about the relationship between Zimbabwe's two most powerful political figures.
IS THIS A WARNING SHOT IN ZANU PF'S SUCCESSION BATTLE?
With the 2028 election timetable at the centre of the constitutional debate, speculation about who will eventually lead Zanu PF continues to attract attention.
Nyamhandu's message appears to portray Mnangagwa as a leader whose position and authority should not be underestimated, while suggesting that jealousy of his power is futile.
But the bigger question remains: Is this simply a party member defending Mnangagwa, or does it reflect the growing anxiety surrounding succession politics inside Zanu PF?
