General Chiwenga Chose To Inspect Rabbits As Government Officials Stampede To Chivayo’s Funeral – Political Analyst Dr. Phillan Zamchiya Unpacks What That Means!

By Agencies

The mourning of late businessman Wicknell Chivayo is now being interpreted as more than a national moment of grief, with political analyst Phillan Zamchiya arguing that the funeral has become another stage for Zimbabwe’s unresolved ZANU-PF succession struggle.

According to Zamchiya, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and members of his political faction have been visibly associated with the mourning of Chivayo, while Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga was reportedly elsewhere — inspecting rabbits at Chivaraidze Farm along Luna Road in Umwinsidale, only a few kilometres from the funeral.

Zamchiya says the absence has attracted attention because Chiwenga, Vice President Kembo Mohadi and senior military figures were allegedly under pressure to either attend the mourning or publicly join Mnangagwa in expressing condolences.

Mohadi has since issued a formal condolence statement, while Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri also attended — leaving Chiwenga’s absence increasingly open to political interpretation, according to Zamchiya.

The analyst argues that Chivayo’s public association with Mnangagwa’s political-business network has given the mourning an additional political dimension.

At the same time, Chiwenga has previously spoken publicly against what he has described as “zvigananda” — cartels operating around the state.

That contrast, Zamchiya argues, means that who attends, who stays away and who speaks — or remains silent — can now be interpreted through the lens of ZANU-PF factional politics.

And there is another striking political detail.

Chivayo was declared a State Provincial Hero of Mashonaland East, which happens to be Chiwenga’s home province.

For Zamchiya, this makes the symbolism even more significant as Zimbabwe’s ruling party continues to navigate questions surrounding its future leadership.

Is Chiwenga’s absence simply a personal decision during a national mourning period — or has the Chivayo funeral inadvertently exposed the fault lines inside ZANU-PF?

Whatever the answer, Zamchiya’s warning is blunt:

“The succession battles remain dangerously fluid.”

“It is still very hot inside ZANU-PF!