By Tinashe Sambiri–The ruling Zanu PF party on Thursday abruptly cancelled a highly anticipated Politburo meeting scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2025 — a move that has heightened speculation over deepening internal divisions and confusion within the party’s top leadership.
In a terse statement issued late Thursday, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa announced the cancellation, attributing the decision to instructions from Secretary General Obert Mpofu.
“The Secretary General of ZANU PF, Cde. Dr. Obert Mpofu, hereby advises all members of the postponement of the Politburo meeting announced for Friday 2nd May 2025. The meeting will be held on a later date to be advised,” read the statement.
No explanation was given at the time.
However, it later emerged that the decision coincided with the sudden scheduling of the burial of national hero Air Vice Marshal (Rtd) Winnie Mandeya, who passed away on Monday, April 28.
The burial, held on Friday at the National Heroes Acre, caught many by surprise — not only for its timing, but for the speed at which preparations were made, effectively overriding what had been billed as a key Politburo session.
Mandeya, a respected liberation war veteran and long-serving military officer, had only been declared a national hero on Wednesday evening.
Government sources say her burial date was not initially fixed for Friday, raising questions about whether the event was used as a pretext to cancel the high-stakes Politburo gathering.
Behind the Scenes Tensions
The sudden cancellation has fueled rumours of serious behind-the-scenes wrangling within the party.
With no clear explanation provided, insiders suspect the meeting was shelved due to unresolved tensions over critical issues — including succession dynamics, power consolidation, and realignments within the Central Committee and Politburo.
The Politburo is the highest decision-making body in Zanu PF outside of Congress, and it plays a crucial role in determining national policy direction and internal party strategy.
Sources had anticipated heated discussions over recent electoral performance critiques, growing grassroots dissatisfaction, and President Mnangagwa’s reported succession plans.
The postponement, coupled with the rushed burial of Mandeya, has led some political analysts to conclude that the party may be struggling to maintain internal cohesion amid rising factionalism.
“There is no doubt the Politburo meeting was set to be contentious,” said one political commentator. “Cancelling it in favour of a hastily-arranged burial for a hero who died four days earlier suggests the leadership needed to defuse a looming confrontation — or at least buy time.”