Key Points
- Machakaire’s reshuffle of Zanu PF youth league faces resistance.
- Paradza defies changes, calls for intervention from party leadership.
- Tensions tied to internal push for Mnangagwa’s 2030 term extension.
After national youth secretary Tinoda Machakaire announced a leadership reshuffle, a power struggle has broken out in the Zanu PF youth league.
Machakaire reshuffles youth league leadership, sparks internal power struggle
Tensions have arisen with his deputy, John Paradza, who says the reshuffle was unlawful and was carried out without consulting him. The changes included the expulsion of elected executive members.
Internal conflicts over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s potential term extension from 2028 to 2030—a proposal backed by some groups in the Masvingo and Midlands provinces—are connected to the aftermath. Despite Mnangagwa’s apparent denial of requesting an extension, the party is deeply divided as a result of covert lobbying.
Paradza, who is thought to support the “2030 agenda,” has charged Machakaire with abusing his power. In a letter to Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu, Paradza pleaded with youth executive members to resist the change.
“Affected members have complained to my office on multiple occasions, and I have advised them to stay in their roles,” Paradza wrote. Citing the Zanu PF constitution’s Article 25, Section 339, which describes the youth secretary’s responsibilities, he put the reshuffle “on hold.”
Accusing Paradza of using “vague references” to constitutional provisions, Machakaire rejected his accusations.
According to Newsday, he warned Paradza to take back his comments or face disciplinary action, claiming that his actions were in accordance with Articles 10(88) and 26(339) of the party constitution.
Matabeleland leaders revolt, decry exclusion from youth league changes
Provincial leaders in Matabeleland also reacted negatively to the reorganization, accusing the party of ignoring their area. In a letter to party leaders, including Mpofu and Paradza, provincial chairpersons Freedom Murechu (Bulawayo), Moses Langa (Matabeleland South), and Lundy Sinzeka (Matabeleland North) expressed their disapproval of Garikai Zonde’s dismissal as secretary for research and technology.
Since the reorganization “left the entire Matabeleland region without a full-time representative at headquarters,” they contended, the youth league’s power dynamics were upset.
The modifications run the danger of “demoralizing youth structures” in the area and jeopardizing previous agreements made during provincial youth league elections, the leaders cautioned.
As factional disputes over succession and Mnangagwa’s future leadership continue to be publicly contested, the continued squabbling highlights the growing tensions inside Zanu PF.
