President Mnangagwa publicly rebukes General Chiwenga and his team over US$9.5 million fundraiser as ZANU PF tensions rise (VIDEO)

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has publicly rebuked his deputy, General (Retired) Constantino Chiwenga, for missing a ZANU PF fundraising dinner that raised about US$9.4 million for the ruling party’s annual conference, as a series of high-profile absences and disputes over proposed party reforms sharpen divisions at the top of the party.

Mnangagwa made the remarks on Tuesday, 13 October, during an open session at a Politburo meeting in Harare. The gathering came as ZANU PF’s annual conference was under way in Chinhoyi, where the party is considering changes to its constitution and the national political future of its leadership remains a central issue.

The President thanked the conference organisers and the resource mobilisation sub-committee, then turned to senior officials who had missed the event. “I sincerely thank the conference organising committee and the resource mobilisation subcommittee for organising a hugely successful Presidential Fundraising Dinner Ball. Congratulations,” he said.

He added: “Some of you came, some of you did not come, but you’re members of the politburo. You hear me?”

Hanzi some of you came and some of you did not come to the gala and yet you are members of the politburo. I wonder what the expression on Chiwenga’s face was like? pic.twitter.com/cQENilVhA9

— Gerrard Anko Ged Belts (@MacBelts) October 13, 2026

Chiwenga was among those absent from Saturday’s Presidential Fundraising Ball at the Hippodrome in Braeside, Harare. He was the only member of the party’s presidium not to attend. The top leadership group includes the President, the two Vice-Presidents, the party chairperson and the secretary-general.

Other senior officials reported absent included General (retired) Engelbert Rugeje and Obert Mpofu. Mnangagwa attended with First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa. Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, party secretary-general Jacob Mudenda and chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri were also among those present.

The dinner was organised by a party sub-committee led by Philip Chiyangwa. It was intended to raise money towards the annual National People’s Conference, being held in Chinhoyi from 12 to 17 October. Organisers had set an initial target of US$6 million. They later reported proceeds of about US$9.4 million, close to the US$9.5 million figure used in descriptions of the event.

The fundraiser was one of several recent public occasions missed by Chiwenga. He was also absent from the funeral proceedings for businessman Wicknell Chivayo, a prominent ZANU PF benefactor who died recently, and from the State House ceremony on Monday at which businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei was sworn in as Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion.

Tagwirei’s appointment places him in a senior government role after his rise through party and state institutions. He was sworn in by Mnangagwa at State House in Harare. Chiwenga’s absence from the ceremony was noted alongside his non-attendance at the fundraiser and funeral, adding to attention on the visible distance between the Vice-President and the President’s circle.

The tensions have been building around proposed changes to the ZANU PF constitution. The party has said it wants its internal rules brought into line with the national constitution, which was amended this year. The changes to the national charter extended presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven and shifted the selection of the President from a direct popular vote to a parliamentary vote. The enacted changes would allow Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030, beyond the end of his current term.

The proposed party amendments have also raised disagreement over how the changes should be prepared and adopted. Chiwenga’s camp has argued for a longer consultation process before proposals go to the party’s central committee. Party legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi has maintained that provincial party bodies have called for the alignment. The differences surfaced at an extraordinary Politburo meeting scheduled for the previous Friday, which was called off before it could proceed.

The party’s leadership structures are now set to address the proposals as the conference continues. The Politburo, central committee and conference meetings give senior officials and provincial representatives opportunities to discuss the wording and direction of the changes. The debate reaches beyond technical amendments: the party’s rules shape how it chooses its leader and presidential candidate, and how it sets the timetable for future internal elections.

Chiwenga has held the vice-presidency since Mnangagwa took power in 2017, after a military intervention that removed longtime President Robert Mugabe. The two men emerged from that transition as the country’s leading political figures. Since then, questions about succession have remained part of ZANU PF’s internal politics, particularly as Mnangagwa’s current term approaches its scheduled end and changes to the national constitution reset the timetable.

The fundraiser itself brought together senior party figures and wealthy business people whose support has become an increasingly visible part of ZANU PF’s political life. The event’s reported proceeds were intended to finance the conference, while its guest list placed the absences of senior officials in public view. Chiwenga has previously criticised wealthy associates of the President, using the Shona term “zvigananda” to describe what he called exploitative business interests close to state power.

Mnangagwa did not name Chiwenga in his remarks at the meeting, but the reference to Politburo members who had skipped the dinner made the rebuke unmistakable. The President’s words came as the party began a conference that is expected to consider both the proposed constitutional alignment and the leadership arrangements that will govern its next phase.

The conference runs until 17 October. Its decisions will determine whether the party moves ahead with the proposed amendments and how its senior structures handle differences that have become increasingly public. For now, the conspicuous absences and Mnangagwa’s pointed warning have placed the strains within the ruling party in full view.