By Political Reporter-There is growing panic in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inner circle amid mounting signs that some disgruntled elements within Zanu PF are mobilising for a potential impeachment bid.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, one of Mnangagwa’s most vocal defenders and key proponents of his “Vision 2030” agenda, appears visibly rattled by the increasing pressure, warning party members against aligning with what he called “outside forces” and “hallucinating factions” pushing for the President’s removal.
Ziyambi made the remarks during a Zanu PF Mashonaland West Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in Chegutu on Saturday, seeking to downplay what insiders say are growing divisions over Mnangagwa’s leadership and succession plans.
“This talk of impeachment is nothing more than a continuation of failed protests,” Ziyambi said, referring to the aborted March 31 demonstrations reportedly planned by expelled party member Blessed Geza. “Now they are panicking and fantasising about Parliament initiating impeachment. But in Zimbabwe, we have a party-based system. There is no space for individual grandstanding in Parliament — members follow the party line.”
Ziyambi emphasized that without the backing of the Zanu PF Parliamentary caucus, any impeachment effort is doomed tofail.
He reiterated that MPs operate under a strict whipping system that ensures alignment with party resolutions, particularly from the People’s Conference, Congress, and Central Committee.
He also warned that MPs who deviate from the party’s official position face immediate recall. “If you think you are bigger than the party, you will be thrown out. Zanu PF is a pocket big enough to fit everyone, but you can’t fit it into your pocket — it will burn you,” he said.
Adding to the defensive rhetoric, former Senate President Edna Madzongwe, now a member of the party’s Council of Elders, echoed Ziyambi’s sentiments. “If you are a Zanu PF member, you cannot act against Zanu PF,” she said, cautioning against internal dissent.
The panic in Mnangagwa’s camp cannot be separated from the long-simmering power struggle between him and his ambitious deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
Their uneasy alliance dates back to the 2017 coup that toppled long-time ruler Robert Mugabe — a military-led operation that installed Mnangagwa as president, with Chiwenga playing a pivotal role as commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
While the two men projected unity in the early post-coup years, tensions have increasingly spilled into the public domain.
Chiwenga’s absence from key state functions, subtle policy differences, and competing factions within the party point to a deepening rift.
Speculation about impeachment efforts is widely seen as part of a broader campaign to resolve the Zanu PF succession crisis, with Chiwenga believed to command significant support within the military and war veterans.
His allies are said to be quietly positioning themselves to challenge Mnangagwa’s bid to stay in power until 2030 — a move critics view as unconstitutional and politically reckless.
Insiders suggest the recent outbursts from loyalists like Ziyambi may indicate rising anxiety within Mnangagwa’s circle, especially in the face of deteriorating public confidence, economic discontent, and increased international scrutiny over repression and corruption.
Though Zanu PF’s internal structure makes it difficult to unseat a sitting president through parliamentary impeachment, the mere talk of such a move reflects growing fractures within the ruling elite — fractures that could deepen as Zimbabwe lurches toward another leadership showdown.