Mnangagwa hits back: Chiwenga’s dossier branded ‘treasonous’ in explosive politburo exchange

HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his lieutenants accused his deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, of attempting to “undermine a constitutionally elected government” and “incite despondency” after Chiwenga tabled a searing 17-page dossier before the Zanu PF politburo on September 17 accusing the president of presiding over “corruption, capture and betrayal” of the ideals of the 2017 coup.

Mnangagwa’s rebuttal — contained in a document authored by Zanu PF’s legal secretary and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, and presented to the Politburo on Tuesday — marks the most direct confrontation yet between the two men who jointly led the 2017 military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe.

Ziyambi, tabling Mnangagwa’s response, described Chiwenga’s document as “fundamentally flawed, treasonous, and lacking appreciation of party procedures and the national constitution.”

“At its core, the document advocates for the unlawful removal of a constitutionally elected President,” Ziyambi wrote. “Any attempt to destabilise or subvert a constitutionally elected government is treasonous.”

Chiwenga’s document, which he presented to Mnangagwa on September 17, opened by invoking the November 2017 coup that brought the pair to power.

“Comrade President, we undertook Operation Restore Legacy with a sacred mandate: to reclaim our nation from the jaws of corruption and to restore the dignity, prosperity, and sovereignty of Zimbabwe,” Chiwenga wrote.

But Mnangagwa’s camp shot back that the vice president was trying to monopolise credit for the coup.

“It is denied that only a few individuals, particularly the writers of this document, sacrificed their lives for Operation Restore Legacy,” Ziyambi responded. “Zimbabweans from all walks of life rose and participated. Let us acknowledge the collective effort and desist from claiming heroism for work done by many.”

Ziyambi even revealed that businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, one of several tycoons Chiwenga accused of “state capture,” had bankrolled the 2017 operation.

“For the record, Mr. Kudakwashe Tagwirei put in a total of five million litres of fuel, food and other provisions for soldiers as requested by the then CDF, General Chiwenga. Furthermore, he put in one million litres of fuel and US$1.6 million to the party,” the response says.

In his dossier, Chiwenga accused Mnangagwa’s allies — notably Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivhayo, Scott Sakupwanya, and Delish Nguwaya — of “stealing more than US$3.2 billion of government funds,” “corrupting party structures,” and “turning the president’s private office into a place where key government decisions are made.”

“These criminals have brazenly looted our state coffers with impunity,” Chiwenga charged. “We cannot fold our hands and watch these criminals like Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivayo, Scott Sakupwanya, and Delish Nguwaya corrupt and bribe our structures and destroy our party.”

He demanded their immediate arrest, adding that “the time for silence and inaction is over.”

But Mnangagwa’s written response dismissed the allegations as “false, malicious and reckless.”

“Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy with well-established institutions to deal with such matters,” Ziyambi wrote. “Individuals have no legal mandate to investigate their perceived competitors to satisfy their personal ego. These utterances are defamatory.”

Ziyambi said the transactions cited by Chiwenga, including the Kuvimba Mining House share sale and the Pomona waste management deal, had full cabinet approval.

“Zanu PF does not own any shares in Sakunda Holdings,” Ziyambi stated. “All contracts were concluded in compliance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act. At no time did ZEC [Zimbabwe Electoral Commission] enter into a contract with Chivayo or any company associated with him.”

Chiwenga had also accused Mnangagwa of plotting to extend his rule beyond 2028 through what he called the “so-called 2030 Agenda,” warning that “we are repeating the ills that led us to November 2017.”

Ziyambi hit back, saying the 2030 Agenda was in fact Resolution Number One of the 2024 Zanu PF National People’s Conference and therefore fully constitutional.

“The president is a constitutionalist who has not deviated from the constitution at any time,” he stated. “There were thirty-one resolutions from the last conference, and Agenda 2030 was resolution number one. There is therefore nothing unconstitutional about it.”

He added pointedly: “Given the underlying circumstances, any attempt to destabilise the government on the basis of such falsehoods is tantamount to treason.”

The response repeatedly accused Chiwenga of being “in denial” and “bitter.”

“The author has clearly demonstrated his bitterness,” Ziyambi said at one point. “To question what happens to the president in his private space is immature and intrusive. A good leader is a good follower. The author has shown he is not a good follower and therefore cannot be a leader.”

He also accused the vice president of hypocrisy, alleging that members of the presidium, “including the author himself,” host political meetings at their private farms.

“No-one has ever questioned these gatherings nor eavesdropped on what takes place at these private places,” the response notes acidly.

Chiwenga had further claimed that exiled former minister Jonathan Moyo was behind a “treasonous project” dubbed the Breaking Barriers Initiative (BBI), allegedly aimed at suspending elections until 2035.

Ziyambi’s reply dismissed that as “strange and regrettable.”

“It is surprising how the writer got hold of the BBI document if it was meant for parliament,” he wrote. “There is nothing treasonous about improving a political system. The BBI, which is being referred to, is actually promoting nation building and cohesion.”

He claimed the initiative was an opposition document brought to him by CCC interim leader Sengezo Tshabangu “in the company of a General Khumalo from the Vice President’s Office.”

Ziyambi likened Chiwenga’s memorandum to “narratives perpetuated by hostile media and rebels like Blessed Geza.”

“The document bears a striking resemblance to the narratives perpetuated by Geza, Western media and all our detractors bent on undermining our sovereignty,” Ziyambi went on.

He recommended that politburo and central committee members undergo “a reorientation course at the Chitepo School of Ideology on the supremacy of the party and the tenets of democracy.”

The response ended with a warning: “Any attempt to stage a coup, whether through treacherous acts, misrepresentation of facts, incitement of violence, or willful blindness to positive development, is a grave offence that undermines stability and unity of our nation and should be liable to immediate censure.”

Zanu PF insiders said Chiwenga also came under attack from Zanu PF national chair Oppah Muchinguri, who told him they all went to war, and their paths split at independence when he became a soldier and they went into government.

Muchinguri, ZimLive heard, told Chiwenga – a retired commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces – that there was “nothing special about coming from the barracks.”

Zanu PF legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa reportedly told the vice president that his criticism of the land tenure implementation committee, led by Tagwirei, ignored the fact that “the president owns all land.”

Chiwenga, it is understood, spoke briefly. He reportedly said: “I’ve listened to all your presentations and I’m convinced that all of you support zvigananda. It’s okay. I acknowledge it.“

The room reportedly fell silent.

Zanu PF insiders say the two documents have deepened factional rifts at the top of the ruling party, which gathers in Mutare this week for its annual conference. Tuesday’s politburo meeting at the party headquarters in Harare was followed by a central committee meeting on Wednesday.

The Chiwenga dossier was reportedly supported by several retired generals and some members of the Women’s League, while Mnangagwa’s backers ensured the president’s counter-document was adopted without debate.

Neither Mnangagwa nor Chiwenga have publicly commented. But party officials say the confrontation — the first open exchange between the two leaders since 2017 — has set the stage for an explosive showdown.

 Mnangagwa Responds to Chiwenga Dossier in Explosive Politburo Meeting