ZANU PF’S INTERNAL WAR IS ONCE AGAIN A WAR AGAINST ZIMBABWEANS

Another bitter political storm is building inside ZANU PF, and as always, ordinary Zimbabweans are the ones who will suffer while powerful men fight over control. This latest battle involves Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his long time rival Jonathan Moyo, with explosive accusations of treason, secret political schemes, and election manipulation now dominating national discussion. Coming just before ZANU PF’s annual conference in Mutare, this latest conflict has once again exposed the deep instability, mistrust, and hunger for power inside the ruling party.

Chiwenga has accused Jonathan Moyo of creating a secret document known as the Breaking Barriers Initiative, which he claims was designed to change Zimbabwe’s political system and push the 2028 elections all the way to 2035. These are serious allegations. If true, they suggest an open attempt to deny Zimbabweans their democratic right to choose leadership at the ballot box. Chiwenga has also linked wealthy businessmen to this alleged project, naming Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivhayo, Scott Sakupwanya, and Delish Nguwaya as possible financial backers. These are names many Zimbabweans already connect with wealth, political influence, and the growing belief that public power is being used for private gain.

But beyond the accusations lies a deeper truth that Zimbabweans know too well. This is not really about protecting democracy. This is not about justice. This is another brutal fight over power inside a party that has spent decades putting internal survival above national progress.

The hypocrisy is impossible to ignore. Constantino Chiwenga now speaks the language of treason and constitutional order, yet this is the same man who led the 2017 military intervention that removed Robert Mugabe from power. At that time, Zimbabweans were told the country was being rescued. Citizens were promised a new beginning, reform, accountability, and hope. Instead, many now feel that one political elite simply replaced another, while the suffering of ordinary people remained exactly the same.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who came to power promising democratic renewal, now finds himself at the centre of fresh concerns about constitutional manipulation and power extension. His allies are increasingly linked to plans that would allow him to remain beyond his constitutional term limits. That makes the current infighting even more dangerous, because it suggests that Zimbabwe’s future is being shaped by factional battles instead of democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, ordinary Zimbabweans continue to face the same harsh realities. Unemployment remains a painful reality for many families. Electricity shortages disrupt daily life. Young people leave the country searching for work and dignity elsewhere. Parents struggle to provide basic needs. Yet while citizens carry these burdens, political elites remain locked in endless battles over succession, influence, and access to national wealth.

History offers a painful warning. ZANU PF has long been shaped by internal power struggles, betrayals, and fierce factional battles. From leadership fights in earlier decades to the dramatic events of 2017, the pattern has remained the same. The names may change, but the struggle for control continues, often at great cost to the nation.

Each time ZANU PF turns inward and begins fighting itself, Zimbabwe becomes weaker. Investor confidence suffers. Political uncertainty grows. Families lose hope. Migration increases. National energy is wasted on elite conflict instead of rebuilding the country.

Zimbabweans must ask themselves an honest question. Who in these battles is truly fighting for the ordinary citizen? The evidence suggests that these fights are about power, not public service. They are about who controls state resources, political influence, and the future direction of the ruling party.

As the conference in Mutare begins, one truth stands out clearly. Zimbabwe’s future cannot continue to be decided through secret documents, factional wars, or elite power struggles carried out behind closed doors.

The people deserve stability, dignity, opportunity, and honest leadership. They deserve a country where politics serves citizens instead of consuming them.

For too long, Zimbabwe has been trapped in the consequences of ZANU PF’s internal wars. The country deserves something better.