Zimbabweans on social media are linking President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s national firearms amnesty to his public split with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, though police describe the measure as a crime-control step and no official has tied the two together.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police announced Monday that Mnangagwa had granted the amnesty, which runs from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12. Individuals and institutions can hand in unlicensed, smuggled or illegally acquired firearms and ammunition at any police station without being questioned. Those who comply will not be prosecuted and will receive an official safe custody receipt. Police said the amnesty falls under the SADC Protocol on Firearms Control.
The force pointed to licensed owners who have not renewed certificates or updated records, and to guns kept poorly secured or left behind after company closures, lapsed gun club memberships or the death of a license holder. Police tied such weapons to theft, armed robbery and murder, but gave no figures. Once the window closes, they said, officers will carry out checks on people suspected of holding illegal firearms.
Online, some users read it differently. Shamiso Vuso wrote on Facebook, “Something is cooking. My President is afraid of something.” Kevin Mabhande, in what NewZimbabwe described as a joke, asked, “How are we going to support Chiwenga without our Guns?” The outlet said many others shared the view, but it named only three posts and offered no evidence of a link.
The talk follows Chiwenga’s speech Friday at ZANU-PF’s 23rd National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi. He asked whether the party was “repeating the same mistakes” that led to the Second Republic. Nehanda Radio read the remarks as invoking the circumstances behind Robert Mugabe’s removal in 2017, but reported that he did not mention the military intervention by name. He also questioned whether party resolutions truly come from the people.
Speaking at the same conference, Mnangagwa said ZANU-PF is united and that any movement has members who drift from its center, according to a report by Newsy Today. He warned that a revolutionary party will always have people who fall by the wayside.
The tension sits against a fight over succession. Mnangagwa’s term ends in 2028, and provincial officials have backed a bid to extend his rule to 2030. An extraordinary politburo meeting planned for Oct. 9 to consider party constitution changes did not take place. The party blamed a clash of programs, while media reports pointed to disagreements among senior officials.
The amnesty also has precedent. Mnangagwa granted a month-long amnesty last year, from Sept. 24 to Oct. 24, 2025, and police gave similar reasons then. This year’s window opened Oct. 12, four days before Chiwenga spoke.
The reports reviewed carried no response from the government, police or Chiwenga to the speculation. The online claims remain unproven.
