By A Correspondent
HARARE – A key ally of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is reportedly being targeted by intelligence operatives loyal to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in what sources describe as an intensifying factional purge within Zanu PF.
Danmore Mambondiyani, the Zanu PF Youth League’s deputy secretary for administration and son-in-law to former Zimbabwe National Army commander Anselem Sanyatwe, has found himself at the centre of the storm. Last week, his liquor business — Madhadha Liquor — had all seven of its Harare outlets abruptly shut down by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), reportedly with support from agents in the President’s Department.
The operation has been widely interpreted as politically motivated. Mambondiyani, like his father-in-law Sanyatwe, is believed to be aligned with Chiwenga — who is expected to take over the presidency in 2028.
The sudden closure of the outlets, without the option to regularise operations — a standard part of ZIMRA’s compliance processes — has fueled accusations of abuse of state institutions for internal party warfare.
His fuel company, Liquid Cargo, previously survived a near-closure after being accused of supplying contaminated fuel — allegations many dismissed as politically driven.
According to NewsDay, the raid is believed to be part of a broader campaign orchestrated by Zanu PF members from Manicaland Province, where loyalties to Mnangagwa reportedly run deep. The goal: to weaken the influence of Sanyatwe and other figures seen as sympathetic to Chiwenga.
ZIMRA spokesperson Gladman Njani, when asked about the involvement of Central Intelligence Organisation operatives during the crackdown, declined to comment, citing confidentiality obligations. “ZIMRA is bound by client confidentiality and cannot disclose specifics regarding any taxpayer,” he said.
One figure accused of playing a role in the campaign is Discovery Ambulance Services CEO David Munowenyu, who is allegedly linked to preacher Uebert Angel and said to be working closely with intelligence operatives. Sources claim he is financing efforts to destabilise Mambondiyani and other Sanyatwe-linked individuals.
Munowenyu, however, has rubbished the claims.
“It’s just name-dropping. I think it’s just naivety to involve me,” he said. “If ZIMRA is doing its job and closing people’s outlets for whatever reason, what has that got to do with me? How do I get involved in the factionalism of such a big party? I am such a small fish. I didn’t know that I had such influence to be dragged into such claims.”
With the 2028 Zanu PF succession battle looming, the targeting of Chiwenga allies like Mambondiyani signals a ruthless internal power struggle—one increasingly spilling into the public and commercial arenas.