Inside the Mind of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga: The Mugabe Complex

By Farai D Hove | ZimEye | As the ZANU PF conference looms, with delegates poised to gather and chart the party’s future, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s striking new look has sparked intense curiosity and speculation. Emerging in public sporting a distinctive moustache—a clear nod to the late Robert Mugabe—Chiwenga seems to be broadcasting a complex internal struggle to the world. Could it be that the man once hailed as the architect of Mugabe’s removal is now seeing himself as a victim of the same political machinery? Has the military strategist begun to perceive parallels between his current predicament and that of the long-serving leader he helped overthrow?

Chiwenga’s sudden adoption of the Mugabe moustache is as symbolic as it is perplexing. On the eve of the ZANU PF conference, where his position as vice president is under threat from none other than President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s close ally, Mabel Chinomona, Chiwenga’s choice of appearance suggests that he feels his power is slipping—just as Mugabe once did in the final days of his reign.

Chiwenga, whose military intervention in 2017 led to the removal of Mugabe and the ascendancy of Mnangagwa, seems to be reliving the fraught power dynamics of that era. Rumors swirl that Chinomona, a long-time loyalist of Mnangagwa and now reportedly his romantic partner, is being primed to replace him as vice president. The air is thick with intrigue, and Chiwenga’s supporters have reportedly begun to quietly demand Mnangagwa’s removal—an echo of the whispers that once led to the coup against Mugabe.

But Chiwenga’s transformation may run deeper than just political jockeying. The moustache appears to be a deliberate act of defiance, signaling that he feels cornered, marginalized, and betrayed by a system he once believed he controlled. As his relationship with Mnangagwa frays, the man who once held the military’s loyalty is beginning to recognize the fragile nature of alliances in Zimbabwe’s turbulent political landscape.

There are whispers of a “secret pact” between Chiwenga and Mnangagwa, agreed upon in the early days of the 2017 coup—a deal where Mnangagwa was supposed to relinquish power after serving his term. Chiwenga, it seems, is now realizing that this pact is slipping away, as Mnangagwa consolidates his power and seeks to replace him with loyalists like Chinomona. Like Mugabe before him, Chiwenga may now see himself as the target of betrayal, consumed by the same political machine he once wielded with confidence.

For Chiwenga, the Mugabe moustache is more than just facial hair—it is a subtle declaration of war, a reminder of what happens when power slips away. The vice president, who once stood at the pinnacle of Zimbabwean politics, now finds himself on precarious ground, unsure of whether he will be replaced or removed entirely.

As the ZANU PF conference opens tomorrow, Chiwenga’s new look serves as a stark reminder of the cyclical nature of power and betrayal in Zimbabwe’s political history. From Mugabe’s downfall to Mnangagwa’s consolidation of power, Chiwenga’s journey from kingmaker to potential outcast may well be Zimbabwe’s next political chapter.

The moustache, then, becomes more than just a stylistic choice—it’s a signal of Chiwenga’s evolving mindset, a silent homage to the man who once stood where he now stands: watching his power slip away, one move at a time. As the political drama unfolds in the coming days, all eyes will be on Chiwenga and whether he will emerge unscathed or meet the same fate as the leader whose moustache he now wears.