THE tension between Zanu-PF’s traditional power structures and its emerging cash-rich benefactors has escalated, with President Mnangagwa’s adviser Paul Tungwarara taking aim at party heavyweights resisting his elevation to the central committee.
Tungwarara was last weekend co-opted into the Zanu-PF central committee by the Manicaland provincial coordinating committee (PCC). However, the move was immediately nullified by the party’s commissar, Munyaradzi Machacha, who said it violated a June 30 circular. Machacha argued that the vacant seat, arising after Dorothy Mabika of Chipinge was elected provincial women’s league chairperson, could only be filled by a nominee from Chipinge. He also warned against the use of money in canvassing for the slot and ordered the PCC to redo the process in line with party regulations.
Zanu-PF secretary for legal affairs Patrick Chinamasa expressed full support for Machacha’s directive. Yet hours later, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa indicated that the matter would be settled by the politburo, signaling that the party’s top decision-making body might side with Tungwarara.
At a recent rally in Chipingwe, Tungwarara appeared to launch a subtle attack on senior party officials, accusing unnamed Manicaland figures of spreading gossip and attempting to sabotage presidential empowerment projects he is spearheading.
“You can’t abuse your position to change certain things and the vision of 2030… Unity is our strength… but it cannot happen if someone is going to the president to create fiction and lies,” he said.
“These are empowerment programmes, and they are not there to create factions in Zanu-PF… Be wary of people who are using divide-and-rule tactics in Manicaland.”
Tungwarara’s rally included donations of US$25,000 each to the Chipingwe East, Chipingwe Central, Chipingwe South, and Musikavanhu constituencies.
Support for his co-option came from Musikavanhu legislator and Primary and Secondary Education deputy minister Angelina Gata, as well as Chipingwe district PCC chairperson Temba Munaiwa Sithole, who emphasized Tungwarara’s local roots.
Observers note parallels with the earlier co-option of Zanu-PF benefactor Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who also faced accusations of using financial influence to secure a central committee seat. Machaka, however, maintained that the two cases were not comparable.
The controversy comes against a backdrop of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s earlier calls to curb the influence of businessmen allegedly using wealth to dominate the ruling party ahead of the October annual conference.
Tungwarara’s case underscores the growing friction within Zanu-PF between long-standing party structures and influential new entrants who wield significant financial clout.
Source – The Standard
