By Political Reporter-Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe is said to have helped Vice President Constantino Chiwenga edge President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of the 2028 race decisively.
Chiwenga, bolstered by the army’s endorsement, is now on track to establish a military-led administration that recalls the era of Robert Mugabe, when the military covertly managed elections and wielded unchallenged power.
At Zanu PF’s 21st National People’s Conference in Bulawayo, Mnangagwa announced his decision to step down after 2028, a move widely attributed to pressure from Chiwenga’s faction.
With strong roots in the armed forces, this faction has gained significant control within Zanu PF, intensifying Mnangagwa’s retreat from his 2030 Vision and revealing long-simmering tensions within the ruling party.
Sources indicate that Chiwenga and Sanyatwe aim to restore the military’s influence over Zimbabwe’s electoral process, a holdover from the Mugabe era, when the army not only administered elections but clandestinely printed ballots, ensuring results aligned with its interests.
Security sources confirmed that Chiwenga’s ascendancy has been years in the making, beginning with his escape from an assassination attempt during the 2018 White City Stadium grenade attack.
Mnangagwa’s recent helicopter crash in Masvingo is said to be the latest warning of Chiwenga’s resolve to take control.
These incidents underscore the life-and-death stakes in Zimbabwe’s political battlefield, where Mnangagwa has struggled to gain the army’s allegiance after allegedly betraying a power-sharing pact forged during the 2017 coup that brought him to power.
Under Chiwenga’s directive, military influence is reportedly set to intensify within the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Since 1980, the military has had a clandestine role in managing Zimbabwe’s elections, ensuring regime continuity through covert ballot production and deployment strategies.
While the military’s dominance over ZEC waned under Mnangagwa’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)-backed Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), Chiwenga’s return to the forefront could signal a reversion to military-controlled election mechanisms, leaving little room for civilian oversight.
Mnangagwa’s fleeting attempt to co-opt military leaders by positioning his cousin General Phillip Valerio Sibanda on Zanu-PF’s politburo failed after it sparked backlash within party ranks.
Since then, Mnangagwa’s faction has lost ground to Chiwenga’s camp, which remained silent but resolute on the “ED 2030” slogans that Mnangagwa pushed forward.
Insiders see Mnangagwa’s recent announcement of his intention to respect the Constitution as a reluctant capitulation, a stark contrast to the rhetoric of unity he advocated at the conference.
As Zimbabwe’s political stage reshapes under Chiwenga’s leadership, analysts predict a return to the shadow rule of the military, wherein elections may become formalities under a de facto junta.
The Mnangagwa faction, in disarray and without military support, now braces for an uncertain future as Chiwenga’s grip tightens, heralding a new era of military supremacy reminiscent of Zimbabwe’s most controversial political chapter.