Zimbabwe is on the edge of political disaster as a brutal power struggle inside the ruling ZANU PF party spins out of control. What began as a quiet rivalry between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga has now become a full-blown internal war that is tearing the party apart and pushing the country toward chaos. Since Robert Mugabe’s forced removal in 2017, Mnangagwa has ruled with the support of the military and business elites. But that support is quickly vanishing.
Chiwenga, the former army general who helped remove Mugabe, is now sharpening his knives for Mnangagwa’s political throat. His recent speeches about corruption being a national security threat are seen as calculated jabs aimed directly at Mnangagwa’s regime. The battle lines are no longer blurred. They are etched in fire and fear. War veterans led by Blessed Geza are now openly calling for Mnangagwa to resign. They accuse him of corruption, economic failure, and national incompetence. These are not just ordinary critics. These are the very people who once protected Mugabe and then ushered in Mnangagwa.
But this is no longer a fight made of words and slogans. Last night, Zimbabwe witnessed a terrifying escalation. Several properties linked to Mnangagwa’s closest allies were firebombed. Cars burned in the streets. Flames lit the skies as businesses connected to men like Kuda Tagwirei, Tino Machakaire, John Mangudya, and Wicknell Chivayo were attacked. The message was clear. Support Mnangagwa and face destruction. Zimbabwe has not seen this level of internal political violence since the bloody purges of the G40 era. Only this time, the enemy is not an opposition party. It is ZANU PF fighting itself.
Wicknell Chivayo, the flamboyant businessman known for flaunting his ties to Mnangagwa, has now found himself in the crosshairs. His in-laws were recently robbed at gunpoint. Armed men took US$75,000, part of the lobola Chivayo had paid for his wife Lucy Lulu Muteke. The attack was cold, brutal, and clearly calculated. Many believe it was not about the money. It was a warning. Chivayo has become the poster child of the greed, excess, and corruption that have defined Mnangagwa’s rule.
These attacks are not random. They are deliberate political statements. Each firebomb, each robbery, each break-in carries a message: your power is no longer protected. Intimidation tactics are spreading. Insiders report mysterious threats and silent whispers of more violence to come. The state is eating itself from within.
Mnangagwa’s grip on power is weakening. What once looked like a united front is now a fractured battlefield. His own supporters are retreating. Voices that once sang his praises are now calling for his departure. Meanwhile, Chiwenga is gaining ground. His circle is growing louder, more confident, and more dangerous.
The fear among ordinary Zimbabweans is real. They are watching their so-called leaders burn the country to prove who is more powerful. What is left for the people when even the ruling party turns against itself? The firebombing incidents have sent shockwaves through a nation already weighed down by poverty, unemployment, and repression. This is not just a leadership contest. It is a dangerous game that could cost lives.
Mnangagwa’s future hangs in the balance. With Chiwenga sharpening his political blade, the party that once claimed to be the liberation movement now looks like a ticking time bomb. As the internal war deepens, one question remains: how much more violence must Zimbabwe endure before this madness ends? The fate of the nation lies in the hands of two men who seem willing to destroy everything to claim the throne.
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