Mashonaland West, long regarded as a bastion of Zanu PF dominance, is showing growing signs of political fatigue with the ruling party, as poor turnout in key internal party processes reveals a significant drop in support.
What was once a guaranteed support base for Zanu PF under the late former President Robert Mugabe now appears to be slipping away from President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s grip. The party’s cell verification exercise — a crucial step in selecting central committee members — has been met with widespread apathy, internal disunity, and even silent protest.
In some districts, the message from grassroots members is clear: they are losing faith.
In Sanyati, the party is scrambling to replace expelled member Blessed Geza, whose call for Mnangagwa’s ouster resonated with a growing faction disillusioned with the current leadership.
Even with high-profile figures like Mines deputy minister Polite Kambamura and businessman Jimaya Muduvuri vying for the spot, enthusiasm remains low.
Hurungwe is no better, as a tense face-off between Reuben Marumahoko and Ability Gandawa to replace jailed ex-deputy minister Terrence Mukupe exposes further cracks. In Makonde, four contenders are locked in a power struggle to fill the void left by Kindness Paradza, now with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
But it’s the near-empty venues and paltry numbers that tell the real story.
In Bumi Hills, not a single attendee showed up. Cheuchi in Mhangura attracted just eight people. Only Ward 4 in Chinhoyi, an urban area increasingly restless under economic strain, reported a significant turnout of 550 — a rare exception in a province once solidly red.
A letter from provincial chairperson Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, lamented “low attendance, poor planning, and unresolved issues with MPs” as obstacles to the process — a thinly veiled acknowledgment of waning confidence in the party.
More striking, however, is her frustration with party leaders themselves. In Chegutu, she accused local officials of stoking disunity and sabotaging the process. “Let this be a clear warning… this behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at all,” she warned, revealing the level of infighting and rebellion festering within the party’s ranks.
As Zanu PF stumbles through internal restructuring, the low engagement signals more than just logistical hiccups — it points to a political tide slowly turning in a province where loyalty once came without question.
For the opposition and civil society, the message from Mashonaland West is encouraging: the political monopoly that has long stifled change is beginning to erode from within.