KEY POINTS

• Kudakwashe Tagwirei joins the Central Committee of Zanu PF.
• His addition adds to the strain over who will succeed the president.
• People think the Chiwenga camp is against Tagwirei’s ascension.

After party legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa declared that notorious businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei is now a member of the party’s powerful Central Committee, the internal succession fight inside Zanu PF has come out into the open.

The Central Committee, the ruling party’s highest authority outside of the Congress plays a decisive role in shaping Zimbabwe’s leadership future. Tagwirei’s admission, announced in a statement Sunday, was framed as a done deal. But its fallout is still reverberating through the top echelons of the party.

Tagwirei’s co-option deepens Zanu PF infighting

Chinamasa says that Harare’s Provincial Coordinating Committee chose Tagwirei in March, and the Politburo approved his post twice, on July 2 and again on July 30, also with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga in charge.

Chinamasa dismissed criticism of the appointment as “misinformation and disinformation,” while calling Tagwirei a “committed and loyal” party member. “There is no rule which debars a loyal member from co-option,” he said.

But insiders see it differently. Many believe Tagwirei’s ascent is part of a long-term plan to position him for Zimbabwe’s top office, potentially challenging the expectations that Chiwenga would succeed 82-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa when his second term ends in 2028.

Tagwirei starts a conversation about the race for succession in 2028

Christopher Mutsvangwa, a Zanu PF spokesperson, had declared before that Tagwirei could not be on the Central Committee. It was strange for high-ranking officials to disagree in public like this. Many people saw the comments as a sign of the growing tension between Mnangagwa supporters and the military-backed Chiwenga group.

Sources within Zanu PF describe Tagwirei’s promotion as “political positioning,” pointing to concerns about elite capture and shadow power dynamics within the ruling party.

“This is Mnangagwa playing a long game,” said a senior academic in Harare. “Tagwirei gives him the option to remain influential beyond 2028 Chiwenga doesn’t.”

Focus shifts to money, loyalty, and succession

Tagwirei, who built a controversial business empire through Sakunda Holdings, has faced international sanctions and allegations of cronyism, but remains untouched by local authorities.People think of him as one of Mnangagwa’s most important financial backers, especially after the military coup in 2017 that removed Robert Mugabe from power.

People have been watching him closely for a long time since he is involved in state enterprises like Command Agriculture and is close to state resources. Some others say that his ascension to power in the party represents a new stage in Zimbabwe’s unsettling mix of politics and money.

A Zanu PF insider also said “This isn’t just about Central Committee membership,”. “It’s about succession. And money.” Tagwirei’s new role is set to become a focal point in the internal power chess game as Zanu PF heads into a Congress in 2027 and general elections in the following year.