By A Correspondent| Sybeth Musengezi, a prominent Zanu-PF youth who previously challenged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy following the 2017 coup, has publicly pledged his support for Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. This development comes as reports emerge of internal Zanu-PF maneuvers to marginalize Chiwenga, a key figure perceived as an obstacle to extending Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond 2028.

Chiwenga, widely seen as a potential successor to Mnangagwa, played a pivotal role in the 2017 military intervention that led to the ousting of the late former President Robert Mugabe, effectively handing power to Mnangagwa.

Musengezi expressed his loyalty to Chiwenga amidst the ongoing factional disputes within Zanu-PF.

“We supported Nelson Chamisa on August 23 as a matter of principle. If VP Chiwenga is indeed being sidelined in Zanu-PF, we will stand by him, also as a matter of principle,” Musengezi stated on his Facebook page. “People seem to forget that he risked his life in 2017 to put Mnangagwa in power.”

Amid these internal divisions, Mnangagwa’s allies have initiated efforts to amend the Constitution, aiming to remove the two-term presidential limit currently set to end Mnangagwa’s tenure in 2028. Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson, Godwills Masimirembwa, recently highlighted the party’s push to alter the constitutional provision, either by extending term lengths, increasing the term limit, or abolishing it altogether.

Although Mnangagwa has publicly claimed he has no intention to seek another term, skepticism remains due to his failure to curb the actions of his supporters. Several senior Zanu-PF figures, including former political commissar Mike Bimha, are reportedly opposed to these constitutional changes, further fueling factionalism within the ruling party.