Tagwirei’s appointment into Central Committee is a done deal, says Chinamasa

By Staff Reporter

Zanu PF legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa on Sunday claimed businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei is now a member of the party’s Central Committee, brushing aside internal dissent in a move that has laid bare growing factional tensions within the party.

The Central Committee, Zanu PF’s highest decision-making body outside of the Congress, plays a crucial role in determining party leadership and national policy direction.

Tagwirei’s admission into this elite structure is being widely interpreted as part of a long-term strategy to position him for a future presidential bid—setting him on a collision course with other factions, particularly that aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

In a statement released on Sunday, Chinamasa said Tagwirei had been nominated by the Harare Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) on March 31, 2025, and that his co-option was formally approved by the Politburo at two separate meetings—on July 2 and again on July 30.

“Cde Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s co-option into the Central Committee was recommended by the Harare PCC… This recommendation was adopted by the Politburo and confirmed again under the chairmanship of Vice President Chiwenga,” said Chinamasa. “The matter is irreversibly settled.”

The statement was unusually direct, suggesting high-level anxiety within the party over the growing backlash. Chinamasa characterised the criticism as a product of social media “misinformation and disinformation,” dismissing it as an attempt to undermine a committed party loyalist.

“There is no rule in the Zanu PF constitution which debars a committed and loyal party member, such as Cde Tagwirei, from being recommended for co-option into the Central Committee,” he said. “The negative publicity is undeserved.”

Chinamasa also pointed out that Tagwirei was not the only individual co-opted by the Politburo. Others included mines deputy minister Polite Kambamura, Christine Gwati, Joseph Serima, and Collen Ndebele—none of whom have attracted similar controversy.

Chinamasa’s statement was a direct rebuttal to Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, who just weeks ago publicly claimed that Tagwirei “does not qualify” to be in the Central Committee. Mutsvangwa did not elaborate on the criteria Tagwirei allegedly failed to meet, but his comments were widely viewed as reflective of a broader resistance to the businessman’s rising political profile.

This very public contradiction between senior party officials has further exposed the deepening fault lines within the ruling party as it prepares for a potential transition of power in the coming years.

According to multiple sources within Zanu PF, Tagwirei’s entry into the Central Committee is being resisted by factions that fear he is being groomed to eventually take over the party—and possibly the presidency—from Emmerson Mnangagwa. One of the most notable opponents, insiders say, is Vice President Chiwenga himself, who is seen as the constitutional and political heir apparent.

“There is no denying it—Tagwirei’s co-option is not just about party service; it is political positioning,” a senior Zanu PF member said off the record. “This is about 2028 and beyond.”