HARARE – Amid mounting factional tensions and a fierce succession battle within ZANU PF, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga delivered a powerful and emotionally charged address at the party’s annual conference in Mutare on Friday — a speech widely interpreted as a direct rebuke to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and senior party officials.
Speaking before delegates gathered in the eastern highlands city, Chiwenga called for moral renewal, unity, and integrity within the ruling party, urging members to honour the sacrifices of liberation war heroes who “did not die for corruption, injustice, and moral decay.”
“This is not merely another conference — it is a moment of reflection, renewal, and recommitment to the timeless values that have carried our revolutionary party from the days of the liberation struggle to the future we envision,” Chiwenga declared.
In a speech laden with symbolism and veiled criticism, the Vice-President emphasised that the spirit of Zimbabwe’s liberation must continue to serve as the party’s “moral compass.”
“The fallen are watching us,” he warned. “Their blood demands integrity. Their voices cry out against corruption, laziness, and moral decay.”
Chiwenga, who has been under increasing political pressure following his alleged authorship of a document condemning the controversial “2030 political agenda,” appeared to challenge the current leadership’s moral authority. He underscored that the liberation struggle had been a collective effort by ordinary Zimbabweans, stressing that “the bond between the party and the people must remain unbroken.”
“The same unity that drove our liberation struggle must now guide us into the future. We must build a people-centred economy that empowers every Zimbabwean — not just a few. That is the essence of Vision 2030 and revolutionary continuity,” he said.
Referencing fallen liberation icons such as Josiah Magama Tongogara, Chiwenga invoked the sacrifices made by those who perished in the bush and under aerial bombardment during the war for independence.
“They fought for the future, not for themselves. Those camps in Mozambique and Zambia were not just military outposts — they were altars of sacrifice, where pain, courage, and faith fused into the spirit of liberation,” he said solemnly.
In what observers viewed as a thinly veiled shot at Mnangagwa and ZANU PF’s top brass, Chiwenga concluded by reminding delegates that the revolution’s legacy should not be betrayed.
“Their blood did not water the soil for corruption, injustice, and moral decay,” he said to resounding applause from sections of the audience.
The remarks come against the backdrop of deepening divisions within ZANU PF, where competing factions are locked in an increasingly public struggle over the party’s direction and leadership succession ahead of 2030.
Chiwenga’s fiery address is seen as both a moral challenge and political warning — a call to return to the party’s founding principles amid what he described as creeping moral rot at the top.
